Once the influenza pandemic of 1918 got going, it swept the world in three waves. Because of the war and the mass movements of soldiers, it was carried into every corner of the world, including remote human communities that had never experienced influenza before.
The 1918 strain brought a much higher death rate than a typical influenza epidemic. Overall, the death toll was likely more than fifty million, making it the deadliest epidemic in human history, measured in absolute numbers.
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Fanfare
Opening Theme
Toccata in D minor
Composed ca. 1708 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Public domain.
Performed by Isolde Ahlgrimm. Public domain recording. Source.
Closing Theme
Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.