The Spanish Flu, pt. 1 – A World in Ashes, 1918-1920 (Episode #86)

In this first installment on the great Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-20, we consider the staggering scope and deep reach of the viral disease that swept the world three times, infecting one third of humankind and killing more people than the World War that nonetheless overshadowed it in the public mind. The second installment will consider the lingering impacts of the pandemic, its enduring mysteries, and the possible reasons it has been forgotten.


Also see The Spanish Flu, pt. 2 — The Great Flu and Modern Memory, 1920-2020

Suggested Further reading: Laura Spinney, “Pale Rider”; Alfred Crosby, “The Forgotten Pandemic.” Image: Edvard Munch, Self-Portrait with Spanish Flu, 1919

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