The Spanish Flu (1918-1920)

Hospital ward at Camp Funston 1918

The epidemic of 1918 alone killed more than World War I ever did.  Also known as the Spanish Flu, the epidemic claimed 20-40 million lives.  It is said that the origins of this flu began in a US Army camp in March 1918.  As soldiers were sent to Europe to fight in the war, they spread the deadly disease.  It received its name because in the war, Spain was a neutral power and resisted censorship regarding the disease.  When the king of Spain, Alfonso XIII became ill with the flu the status of his condition was constantly being monitored.  This gave the false impression that Spain was the country most affected by the flu, but in reality it was the least affected.  The Spanish Flu had it's origins in the United States, yet it affected the entire globe.