Looking beyond the view of the Black Death as unmitigated catastrophe, David Herlihy sees in it the birth of technological advance as societies struggled to create labor-saving devices in the wake of population losses. New evidence for the plague`s role in the establishment of universities, the spread of Christianity, the dissemination of vernacular cultures, and even the rise of nationalism demonstrate that this cataclysmic event marked a true turning point in history. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.