What Happened On March 4th?

On March 4th, 1918, the world didn’t know that the start of a pandemic would claim 21 million deaths in the next four months.

Despite the end of World War I later that same year, a disease would take more lives than both World Wars combined.

Today over a century ago, the first documented cases of the Spanish flu, better known as Influenza, appeared in the news.

Compared to the 18,600 American lives lost within the first four months from COVID-19, the Spanish flu took over 675,000 in the same time span.

Despite the name “Spanish flu,” it’s widely accepted that the first documented cases actually emerged earlier in the year in Kansas, not in Spain. With reports of “severe influenza” appearing as early as January 1918, it wasn’t until March 4th that the news officially took notice.

Private Albert Gitchell, an army cook stationed at Camp Funston in Kansas, reported to the camp’s hospital with flu-like symptoms – sore throat, fever, and headache. This seemingly isolated incident, however, quickly escalated. Within a week, hundreds of soldiers presented similar symptoms, raising concerns among medical personnel.

Even though being infected by this virus was not as life-threatening as that of the Smallpox, which was also a massive issue during this time, it was on track to spread just as rapidly.

While this initial news report on March 4th, 1918, might not have seemed like a big deal at the time, it was, indeed, a harbinger of the devastating pandemic soon to come.  It would wreak havoc across the globe for years to come, still affecting millions around the world today.