The Spanish Flu of 1918

The Spanish Flu of 1918 By Stan Dyer 1918 America was the America of Woodrow Wilson, George M. Cohan, and Charlie Chaplin. Farmers used the new invention the “tractor”, Clarence Birdseye sold his first frozen foods, and the Raggedy Ann doll was born. Elsewhere in the World, World War I wound down, the Austro-Hungarian Empire ended, and the Bolsheviks took control of Russia, executing the Romanovs. 1918 also witnessed the most devastating pandemic in recorded history, the Spanish Flu. Although originating in China, the Spanish Flu claimed its first serious devastation in Spain in May of 1918. It hit America in March of 1918 when a number of soldiers at Fort Riley, Kansas all reported similar flu-like symptoms. By July, word was out about Spain and bulletins issued in View the rest of this article