Researching Spanish flu and learning so much.

So for one, it didn't originate in Spain, only the media coverage did. They were a neutral country with free media. Other countries had wartime censors, covering up the news of the flu to keep morale high.

No one knows where it originated, but the first known case was in Fort Riley, KS. Some believe infected soldiers spread the disease to other military camps across the country, then brought it overseas.

Like we're doing now, they ordered quarantines and wearing masks in public. Shut down schools, churches, and theaters. Weren't even allowed to spit in public.

Somehow I doubt folks were protesting making masks when some people had to even dig their graves for loved ones.

Philadelphia insisted it was the regular flu killing people. On 9/28/1918, they went forward with their Liberty Loan parade. Ten days later, 1,000 Philadelphians were dead and over 200,000 more were sick.

In contrast, St. Louis shut down and public gatherings were banned. Their peak mortality rate was only 1/8 of Philly's.

What's REALLY wild (and the reason I was looking into this to begin with) is that the only reason the Spanish Flu pandemic ended in summer 1919 is because those infected either died or developed immunity.

That's scary, but what I expect will happen with us. The 2nd wave that came the fall of 1919 was much worse than the first. We should know our history.