The Flu Pandemic (1918-1920)
Estimated deaths: 20-50 million
If ever there was an event in modern history that came close to rivaling the Black Death in the speed in which it spread and its mortality rate, it was the great flu pandemic that started in 1918. Sometimes also referred to as the Spanish Flu (which was a misnomer), this flu pandemic was unique in that it seemed to target mainly healthy young individuals. Its origins are still being debated but it is widely believed that the first confirmed case of the outbreak was in the American heartland at Ft. Riley, Kansas. There a young private named Albert Gitchell was diagnosed with a new strain of flu on March 11, 1918. From there it spread like a rushing wave. Actually, it came in three waves.
The first wave was a mild form of the flu that resembled a bad cold. This occurred during the Spring of 1917. However, the second and deadlier wave began in the early Fall of 1917. This version spread to the East coast of the United States and into France, then Spain, Africa, and then continued spreading to the rest of the globe. A third wave of the flu would strike in the Spring of 1918. By the time the pandemic had runs its course the aftermath it had wrought on societies around the globe was astounding.
Maybe the best way to express the impact of this pandemic is by looking at the numbers. It was estimated that one-fifth of the total global population was infected by the flu. In India alone, it was estimated to have killed 17 million people. In Japan, 390,000 perished from the disease. In the U.S., an estimated 28% of the population became infected with the flu. Of those infected, approximately 675,000 would die which was ten times as many American soldiers that were killed on the battlefields of World War I. Up to 20% of those who became infected with the flu would succumb to its lethality.
