1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic: The Virus That Infected One-Third Of The World
1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic: The Virus That Infected One-Third Of The World
The Spanish flu that spread around the world a century ago killing millions puts the coronavirus crisis in perspective.
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Members of the U.S. Army's Student Army Training corps wear "influenza masks" in October 1918 at the height of the deadliest pandemic in modern history.
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British and French soldiers light a cigarette at Etaples in northern France at the beginning of World War I. Although the source of the flu strain that devastated the world from 1918-1920 is disputed, many believe the pandemic began in this French military camp.
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The Etaples camp (pictured in 1915) was filled by a constant rotation of war-fatigued soldiers and located alongside farms filled with ducks, geese, and pigs. Pig cells share similarities with both bird and human cells and the animals are known as intermediaries capable of passing virulent new influenzas from birds to people.
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An "anti-spitting" sign in a U.S. Navy yard in 1918.
As the virus began to spread, it was dubbed the "Spanish Influenza" for the sole reason that most European countries had muzzled their news media to control the flow of information during the war. Since Spain was neutral and its media free at the time, the first reports of the lethal new illness emerged from there.
As the virus began to spread, it was dubbed the "Spanish Influenza" for the sole reason that most European countries had muzzled their news media to control the flow of information during the war. Since Spain was neutral and its media free at the time, the first reports of the lethal new illness emerged from there.