Spanish flu

Quick Facts: Who was Spanish flu?

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Spanish flu

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The 1918–1920 global influenza pandemic, caused by the H1N1 virus.

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Origins & Early Life

The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the misleading name Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest probable cases were documented in March 1918 in Haskell County, Kansas, United States, with further cases recorded in France, Germany and the United Kingdom in April. Two years later, nearly a third of the global population, or an estimated 500 million people, had been infected. Estimates of deaths range from 17 million to 50 million, and possibly as high as 100 million, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in history. The pandemic broke out near the end of World War I, when wartime censors in the belligerent countries suppressed bad news to maintain morale, but newspapers freely reported the outbreak in neutral Spain, creating a misleading impression of Spain as the epicenter and leading to the disease being known as Spanish flu.

Career & Major Achievements

Limited historical epidemiological data make the pandemic's geographic origin indeterminate, with competing hypotheses on the initial spread. Most influenza outbreaks disproportionately kill the young and old, but this pandemic had unusually high mortality for young adults. Scientists offer several explanations for the high mortality, including a six-year climate anomaly affecting migration of disease vectors with increased likelihood of spread through bodies of water. However, the claim that young adults had a high mortality during the pandemic has been contested. World War I exacerbated malnourishment, overcrowding in medical camps and hospitals, and poor hygiene which in turn promoted bacterial superinfection, killing most of the victims after a typically prolonged death bed.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

This pandemic was known by many different names depending on place, time, and context. The etymology of alternative names historicises the scourge and its effects on people who would only learn years later that viruses caused influenza. The lack of scientific answers led the Sierra Leone Weekly News (Freetown) to suggest a biblical framing in July 1918, using an interrogative from Exodus 16 in ancient Hebrew: "One thing is for certain—the doctors are at present flabbergasted; and we suggest that rather than calling the disease influenza they should for the present until they have it in hand, say Man hu—'What is it?'" Outbreaks of influenza-like illness were documented in 1916–17 at British military hospitals in Étaples, France, and just across the English Channel at Aldershot, England. Clinical indications in common with the 1918 pandemic included rapid symptom progression to a "dusky" heliotrope face. This characteristic blue-violet cyanosis in expiring patients led to the name 'purple death'.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1916: 1916 Milestone — '" Outbreaks of influenza-like illness were documented in 1916–17 at British military hospitals in Étaples, France, and just across the English Channel at Aldershot, England.
2. 1918: 1918 Milestone — The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the misleading name Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus.

Notable Quotes by Spanish flu

“Everybody thinks of it as the 'Spanish' influenza to-day.” (1918)

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Spanish flu

True or False: “The pandemic was definitively traced back to its origin in Spain due to early reporting.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While reports from Madrid were prominent, the outbreak did not originate in Spain; this perception arose due to wartime censorship in belligerent nations.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Abdul Hamid II — Historical peer (Died in 1918) (1918): Last effective Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, navigating decline and constitutional upheaval.
• Abraham Pais — Historical peer (Born in 1918) (1918): Pioneering physicist and acclaimed science historian of modern physics.
• Abraham Kuyper — Historical peer (Died in 1920) (1920): Influential neo-Calvinist pastor, journalist, and Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
• Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani — Historical peer (Born in 1920) (1920): Emir of Qatar (1960–1972) whose reign oversaw the nation's oil boom and independence.
• Adriana Caselotti — Historical peer (Born in 1916) (1916): American actress and singer, famed for voicing Snow White in the first Disney feature.
• Ahmed Ben Bella — Historical peer (Born in 1916) (1916): Algerian revolutionary and politician who served as the first President of Algeria.

Frequently Asked Questions about Spanish flu