The article presents the stories of the greatest pandemics in the history of the world. Diseases have affected humanity for centuries. Their effects were most severe when people began to live in larger groups, and therefore most often in cities. One of the largest pandemics that plagued people quite regularly was the plague. But other diseases, such as cholera, typhus, smallpox, syphilis, leprosy and Spanish flu, were also very devastating. They left a huge mark on people's mentality, were described many times in literature, were recorded in paintings and sculptures. They had an impact on the course of battles, on economic turmoil and also on the private lives of individuals. For many centuries, treatment was intuitive. Only vaccinations and recognition of the causes of diseases gave a chance to control them.