Menu Close

Articles on 1918 flu pandemic

Displaying 1 - 20 of 40 articles

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has evolved over time into multiple variants and sublineages. loops7 / E+ via Getty Images

Pivotal points in the COVID-19 pandemic – 5 essential reads

With the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the rearview mirror, at least for now, we look back on a handful of stories that provided sharp insights at key moments in the pandemic.
In this November 1918 photo, a nurse tends to a patient in the influenza ward of the Walter Reed hospital in Bethesda, Md. AP Photo/Harris & Ewing via Library of Congress

1918 flu pandemic upended long-standing social inequalities – at least for a time, new study finds

During the 1918 flu pandemic, white people died at similar rates to Black Americans, according to a new study – a very different pattern than what occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two men discover a dead body in the street during the Great Plague of London. 19th-century wood engraving. Herbert Railton/Wellcome Collection

From the great plague to the 1918 flu, history shows that disease outbreaks make inequality worse

Accounts of previous epidemics – by Samuel Pepys, Daniel Defoe and Katherine Porter – warn of mistakes that we risk repeating.
In the wake of COVID-19, the 2020s may be a time when we reconsider how we work, run governments and have fun, just as the 1920s were. This illustration of a flapper girl, created by artist Russell Patterson in the 1920s, captures the style of that era. (Library of Congress)

Will the end of the COVID-19 pandemic usher in a second Roaring ’20s?

A century ago, the end of the 1918 flu pandemic was followed by a period of prosperity, cultural flourishing and social change known as the Roaring ‘20s. Will the end of COVID-19 launch a similar era?
The arts, literature and culture provide models for hope and resilience in times of crisis. (Marc-Olivier Jodoin/Unsplash)

Radical hope: What young dreamers in literature can teach us about COVID-19

The radical hope we find in the arts, culture and literature is often a reflection of the times. Drawing from the past there are many examples of how dreams can become a form of resilience.
The U.S. as a whole is facing a huge surge in coronavirus cases, but the differences between states like New York and Florida are striking. Kena Betancur/1207979953 via Getty Images

The US isn’t in a second wave of coronavirus – the first wave never ended

The recent spike in new coronavirus cases in the US is not due to a second wave, but simply the virus moving into new populations or surging in places that opened up too soon.
Emergency hospital during influenza epidemic at Camp Funston in Kansas around 1918. National Museum of Health and Medicine

5 ways the world is better off dealing with a pandemic now than in 1918

A century ago, the influenza pandemic killed about 50 million people. Today we are battling the coronavirus pandemic. Are we any better off? Two social scientists share five reasons we have to be optimistic.

Top contributors

More