1. Philly’s Deadliest Parade
Despite its name, the first reported “Spanish” Flu case actually occurred in a US Army training camp in Kansas in spring, 1918. Within days, the virus reached New York City, and within a month, it was a pandemic that raged across the world. It was lethal, but compared to what followed, the initial outbreak was relatively mild. A second and significantly deadlier wave hit in the summer of 1918, and mortality rates skyrocketed. Philadelphia’s public health director, Wilmer Kursen, protested that it was a bad time for a parade, but was ignored. On September 28th, 1918, at least two hundred thousand spectators jammed Broad Street to watch a miles-long procession. They cheered as bands blared brassy tunes and floats passed by, with the latest additions to America’s arsenal, such as airplanes built in Philly.
Spectators were packed like sardines in a can, and the Spanish Flu’s virus could not have dreamt of a more hospitable environment to spread. Within two days, cheers turned to fear, as Kursen announced that the pandemic had taken hold in the city. Philadelphia was unprepared. 72 hours after the parade, every single bed in its 31 hospitals was filled, as the Spanish Flu raged. Too late, the authorities tried to curb the pandemic, and shut down all public spaces. That shut the barn door after the horses had already escaped. Within a week of the parade, 2600 Philadelphians had died of the flu, and within two weeks, that figure had spiked to 4500. It was Philly’s deadliest, and most misguided parade, ever.
