The 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic: Origins, Spread & Impact

The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1920 was a global pandemic that infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide, including remote villages in Alaska and islands in the South Pacific. It caused the deaths of an estimated 20-50 million people, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in human history.

It is important to note that the name "Spanish flu" is misleading, as the origin of the pandemic is still undetermined. The name originated during World War I when news reports in Allied nations censored information about the spread of the disease in their own countries to maintain morale, while reports from neutral Spain were widely available, giving the false impression that Spain was disproportionately affected.