As Spanish flu ravaged the world in 1919, Australians found novel ways to commemorate Anzac Day, and they will do so again this year.
Kenya’s government have issued a directive that people must wear masks while in public places.
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In Kenya, the Spanish flu caused various forms of social and economic disruption, ranging from social distancing to the suspension of nonessential services and widespread food shortages.
Cremation on the banks of the Ganges river, India.
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The 14th century Black Death pandemic catalysed enormous societal, economic, artistic and cultural reforms in Medieval Europe. Infectious disease pandemics can be major turning points in history.
Inscriptions on the Stanley Cup shows no winner was declared in 1919 when the final series between Montréal and Seattle was cancelled because of the flu pandemic.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The Stanley Cup hockey finals were cancelled mid-series in 1919 because of the flu pandemic. Unlike a century ago, the NHL has put player health ahead of profit when dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall had been performing royal duties until he tested positive for COVID-19.
Yui Mok/PA Wire/PA Images
The pandemic makes it hard for the royal family to act as national figureheads as they have in past crises.
HIV activists in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa in 2004. Solidarity and organisation were key in fighting HIV stigma.
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Usually when a leader handles a crisis poorly, it’s politically costly. But President Trump’s mishandling of the coronavirus crisis is not likely to hurt him, says an expert on health crises.
U.S. Red Cross volunteers in 1918.
Apic/Getty Images
The so-called ‘Spanish flu’ didn’t actually come from Spain. What else do people often misunderstand about this famous crisis?
A man walks past a large display promoting the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Organizers have resisted calls to postpone or cancel the Games, which are scheduled to start July 24.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
While sporting events around the world have put their seasons on pause, the International Olympic Committee has refused to cancel the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. For athletes, the delay is a dilemma.
Medics in masks at a US army hospital in 1918.
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Policymakers would be wise to pay attention to historical parallels.
The St Louis Red Cross Motor Corps on duty with mask-wearing women holding stretchers at the backs of ambulances during the global flu epidemic, St Louis, Missouri, October 1918.
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The Spanish flu episode highlights some elementary mistakes made back then which must be avoided at all costs to prevent another public health disaster.
Coronavirus seems to be on a collision course with the US economy and its 12-year bull market.
AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
An economist explains how a virus like COVID-19 could disrupt the US economy – and why it’s too soon to freak out just yet.
Commuters jam a Toronto subway platform. Widespread adoption of habits that help prevent infection may boost behavioural herd immunity.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
Large-scale adoption of simple, individual actions — like disinfecting our germ-laden phone screens — can limit the ability of COVID-19 to get a foothold.
Women were at the forefront of managing the influenza pandemic.
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
While negotiating the end of the First World War at the Versailles Peace Conference, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson collapsed. Was it a neurological disorder associated with the Spanish Flu?
Electron microscopy image of 1918 influenza virus particles near a cell.
NIAID