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Step aboard the worst cruise in history — a 14th-century merchant ship slowly rotting at sea, teeming with rats, disease, and sailors who’ve completely given up. In this immersive, darkly funny tale, you’ll experience life (and death) on a plague ship firsthand. From lice-infested hardtack to hallucinating crew members and the grim reality of drifting into a quarantined harbor, this is not your typical voyage. Spoiler: the rats win.

This video is part of our Boring History for Sleep series — real, absurd history told in a slow, immersive tone designed to help you unwind, zone out, or passively learn something morbidly fascinating.

🛏️ Drowsy Historian’s Favorite Sleep Tools

Looking to upgrade your nighttime routine? These are a few things I personally use or recommend:

• Sleep Earbuds for Enhanced Immersion → https://amzn.to/4pVFoJy

• Blanket Soft Enough to Make the Plague Feel Tolerable → https://amzn.to/3GSOq8f

• Weighted Blanket for Pretending You’re a Mummified Pharaoh → https://amzn.to/4kVJCgE

• Sleep Mask Headphones For Total Historical Escape → https://amzn.to/4nWsNVn

• Book Light for Reading About Plagues at 2AM → https://amzn.to/4eSg0iu

• White Noise Machine for Blocking Out the 21st Century → https://amzn.to/3GJ9jTw

These are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them—at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show while staying cozy.