Open Database Connectivity. In computing, Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a standard application programming interface (API) for accessing database management systems (DBMS). The designers of ODBC aimed to make it independent of database systems and operating systems.
The death toll from a yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia hits 100 on this day in 1793. By the time it ended, 5,000 people were dead. Yellow fever, or American plague as it was known at the time, is a viral disease that begins with fever and muscle pain.
As the 19th century wore on, yellow fever outbreaks would increasingly be confined to the southern United States. New Orleans; Summer 1853; 8000 or more dead. This outbreak illustrated a racial disparity in yellow fever mortality; 7.4% of white residents died, but only 0.2% of blacks. Norfolk; June-Oct 1855; 2,000 dead. This epidemic, like many others in America, began with the arrival of a disease-carrying ship from the West Indies.