Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
influenza pandemic of 1918–19
Introduction & Top Questions References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Influenza pandemic of 1918–19 Infographic summarizing the 1918-19 influenza pandemic, including definitions of influenza and pandemic, origins, symptoms, reasons for the name Spanish flu, rapid spread factors, three pandemic waves, death tolls in the U.S. and worldwide, age group most affected, and comparison to other major pandemics. Key points include H1N1 virus with avian genes, spread during World War I, no vaccines or tests at the time, and estimated global deaths ranging from 25 to 50 million. influenza A H1N1 virus Influenza pandemic of 1918–19: Walter Reed Hospital Infographic bar graph comparing U.S. death tolls from major events, with COVID-19 at over 1.1 million deaths, the Civil War and 1918-19 flu pandemic each above 675,000, and smaller bars for wars, pandemics, and disasters such as World War II, the Vietnam War, and September 11.
Quizzes
Warm water fuels Hurricane Katrina. This image depicts a 3-day average of actual dea surface temperatures for the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, from August 25-27, 2005.
Disasters of Historic Proportion

influenza pandemic of 1918–19: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Invalidated site: Cleveland Clinic - 1918 Influenza Pandemic (Spanish Flu). Sep 15, 2026
Add new Web site: Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History - The Influenza Pandemic of 1918Β–1919. Jul 20, 2026
Questions and answers added. Mar 21, 2025
Add new Web site: Smith ScholarWorks - Lessons Learned from the 1918-1919 Influenza Pandemic in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MinnesotaMinneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota (PDF). Dec 16, 2024
Add new Web site: PNAS - Frailty and survival in the 1918 influenza pandemic. Jun 18, 2024
Added cross-reference to the impact of COVID-19 article. Apr 15, 2024
Add new Web site: Pan American Health Organization - Purple Death: The Great Flu of 1918. Mar 28, 2024
Add new Web site: Ohio State University - Origins - The 1918 Flu Pandemic. Feb 12, 2024
Add new Web site: National Archives - The Flu Pandemic of 1918. Jan 04, 2024
Add new Web site: Encyclopedia Virginia - Influenza Pandemic in Virginia, The (1918οΏ½1919). Nov 15, 2023
Add new Web site: New Zealand History Online - The 1918 influenza pandemic. Jul 03, 2023
Add new Web site: Cleveland Clinic - 1918 Influenza Pandemic (Spanish Flu). Mar 28, 2023
Add new Web site: Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage - The 1918 Spanish Flu. Jan 02, 2023
Add new Web site: Live Science - 1918 influenza: The deadliest pandemic in history. Aug 23, 2022
Add new Web site: CDC - 1918 Pandemic (H1N1 virus). Jul 14, 2022
Media added. Jul 07, 2020
Added an image of the 1918 influenza A H1N1 virus. Mar 04, 2020
Corrected display issue. Mar 04, 2020
Article revised to state that there remains uncertainty regarding where the influenza virus first emerged to give rise to the pandemic of 1918–19. Dec 06, 2019
Removed redundant death statistics. Sep 26, 2017
Add new Web site: PBS - The American Experience - Influenza 1918. Nov 18, 2016
Add new Web site: PBS - The American Experience - Influenza 1918. Nov 18, 2016
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - The 1918 Influenza Pandemic and Its Legacy. Aug 12, 2016
Add new Web site: 1914-1918-online - International Encyclopedia of the First World War - Influenza Pandemic. Aug 12, 2016
Added photograph. Jul 21, 2009
Changed title to "influenza pandemic of 1918-19" and added information on the spread of the disease beyond Europe. May 01, 2009
New illustration added. Jan 14, 2009
Added new Web site: PBS Online - American Experience - Influenza 1918. Aug 31, 2006
Added new Web site: World History International Project - The Spanish Influenza. Aug 03, 2006
Article revised. Dec 07, 2001
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
View Changes:
Article History
Revised:
By: