Smallpox, or Variola major, is a deadly viral disease . The virus is shaped like brick covered in small spikes, and has been infecting humans for thousands of years. Smallpox even affected the course of the Revolutionary War. The disease had been killing many of George Washington’s men, and only when he had them protected from smallpox, could the Americans keep fighting for freedom. Smallpox has a very riveting history. The name Smallpox comes from small bumps that appear on the skin of an infected person. In fact, the word pox means “spotted” in Latin. Scientists estimate that this virus originated over 3,500 years ago in Egypt or India, when a disease like cowpox or camelpox could have mutated to infect humans. The rest, as they say, is