THE INFLUENZA PANDEMIC
The 1918–1919 Influenza Pandemic was one of the deadliest pandemics in world history, affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide and killing approximately fifty million people.
It is not known exactly how or where the disease originated, but the earliest reported cases in the United States occurred in Kansas at Fort Riley. With thousands of men concentrated in a relatively small area, away from home for the first time and lacking immunity from the childhood diseases experienced by children in urban areas, it is not surprising that the virus spread quickly.
This first outbreak was highly contagious and spread around the globe in only a few months’ time, leading to its labeling as a pandemic versus epidemic. Later in 1918, another wave struck, with peak totals of sick and dead in October and November. A third wave hit in early 1919 and persisted into 1920.
The "How WWI Changed America" Documentary Series is made possible by a grant from the Andrew w. Mellon Foundation.
It was created by the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission and The Doughboy Foundation with the Founding Sponsor, The Pritzker Military Museum and Library.
The WWI Centennial Education Partnership includes National History Day, The National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, and The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.