Exploring episodes of forgotten history.
First up, the 1918 influenza pandemic.
The 1918 Spanish Flu killed more Americans during World War I than mustard gas or trench warfare, but there are no monuments or memorials dedicated to the victims of this pandemic.
Lost Prologue, a four-part series, explores the history of the 1918 pandemic — its intimate connection to WW1, the ways Americans were inequitably impacted, and the science behind the world’s deadliest pathogen. The people you’ll hear from include prominent virologists, scientists, and historians who reconstruct this missing chapter of history and shed light on the current pandemic.
Note from the Narrator
When coronavirus struck in March, I was lucky enough to be quarantining with my 102-year-old Grandpa Phil. I found myself talking to him frequently about the pandemic that ravaged our country the year he was born. The 1918 Spanish Flu killed 50-100 million people worldwide, but we rarely - if ever - learn about this catastrophe in school. That an event of such epic devastation should be overlooked felt especially strange amidst the coronavirus pandemic as we are all now familiar with the havoc that infectious disease can wreak across families, communities, and countries. This podcast is the product of dozens of conversations with historical and scientific experts who have studied this period of history and have worked to ensure that it is not forgotten.
