Zombies: A brief history of the concept

When investigating the history of the modern zombie concept the hunt can be split into two categorise, fictional and factual. Out of these two it is clear that the biggest influences have been fictional, with films, television and books collectively crafting the modern zombie shaped mould. However this fictional fellow is delicately hung on some factual events.

This post is my run down of the key dates and events that the future zombie apocalypse survivors will look back on and say, 'How could we have been so blind!'.

1) 1584 - First recorded case of rabies by Italian Girolamo Fracastoro. Rabies is a viral disease that is transmitted by bite. It most commonly effects animals such as dogs and bats but has been recorded to effect humans. Swelling of the brain can cause pain, violent movements and aggression, usually resulting in death. It was considered to be eradicated in the UK however recently rabid bats have been reported in Scotland. Many believe that if a zombie virus did materialize, it would be a mutation or variation of rabies.




Human infected with rabies





2) 1937 - Case of Haitian woman allegedly returning back from the dead. Folklorist Zora Neale Hurston reported a family in Haiti, that claimed a strange woman who appeared in the village to be a family member that had been buried in 1907. The notion of rising from the dead and zombies is one that runs deep in the voodoo beliefs of many Haitian people. The use of dark magic and witch doctors is prevalent in many Caribbean and African nations.

(video courtesy of BBCWorldwide)

3) 1993 - A group of female Chinese athletes broke five world records in running after eating cordyceps mushroom. The cordyceps are a fascinating species of mushroom that included about 400 different varieties. It has been used as a medicine in Asia for thousand of years for its energy giving properties. Western medicine has recently begun exploring its benefits, largely due to impressive results such as in 1993. So what does this have to do with zombies? Well some species exhibit the ominous ability of mind control as explained in the video bellow. Currently this has only been recorded in insects, although science has yet to fully understand the processes involved in this method of skull busting reproduction. This fatal fungus should not be dismissed when considering possible zombie apocalypse scenarios.

(video courtesy of BBCWorldwide)

4) 2011 - Mexico City break world record in 10,000 strong zombie march. This impressive gathering is evidence that the obsession with the undead is only increasing. 'Zombie Walks' have become an increasingly popular pass time, meaning that you may not even have to wait for a zombie virus to see a horde of pale crusties walking down your street.






10,000 Mexican zombies!
(image courtesy of BBC)




5) 2012 - Zombie grandmother ‘dead’ for six days. 95 year old Li Xiufeng was found motionless and appeared not to be breathing and unresponsive, shortly after a injury to her head. After being presumed dead she was put in an open coffin and respects were paid. However after six days she awoke from her coffin and was found in her kitchen cooking some food. She didn't seem to be bothered by the whole thing;  she said she has slept for a long time and now she was very hungry. Ok, so this is not really an omen of the final zombie reckoning, but an interesting story nonetheless.




(image courtesy of The Mirror)
Li Xiufeng looking very much alive



6) The Future... So what should we be looking out for in the future? Angry bats? Head fungus? Zombie Mexicans? Undead grannies? Maybe a combination of them all, an angry mushrooming Mexican old lady? I honestly don't know. What I do know is that I'm going to keep posting until I find out. If you have any idea then please comment.

Stay sharp.