The 1918 Influenza Pandemic

What happened

As the war ended, an exceptionally deadly influenza pandemic — the 'Spanish flu' — swept the world, spread in part by the movement of troops. It infected roughly a third of the global population and killed an estimated 50 million or more people, with about 675,000 deaths in the United States.

Why it matters

The pandemic killed more people than the war itself and struck the young and healthy with unusual severity, compounding the catastrophe of 1918.

Sources

• U.S. National Archives. The Influenza Epidemic of 1918 · Primary source
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. History of the 1918 Flu Pandemic · Reputable source