How many people did die

[keramus]

Hello everybody

I googled "how many people died" and I found a lot of websites that use this sentence but I saw in a book:
Medieval Realms 1066-1500


How many people did die from this plague?
I'm confused and I don't know which one to use. Is there any significant difference between "How many people died?" and "How many people did die?"?
Please tell me your opinion.

 

[Sparky Malarky]

Both are correct. Using "did die" suggests that you are contradicting someone, or asserting that you were correct.

A: The plague was terrible! Millions of people died!
B: No, not that many. You are exaggerating.
A: Oh? Well how many people did die, then?