Women Wear Masks on Shopping Expeditions During Influenza Epidemic
ca. 1918
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The original caption for this photograph reads: Women Wear Masks on Shopping Expeditions During Influenza Epidemic
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, also known as the Spanish Flu, was one of the deadliest events in human history. One fifth of the world's population was attacked. The epidemic killed an estimated 50 million people around the world – more than died in World War I. Within months, the deadly flu virus had killed more people than any other illness in recorded history.
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, also known as the Spanish Flu, was one of the deadliest events in human history. One fifth of the world's population was attacked. The epidemic killed an estimated 50 million people around the world – more than died in World War I. Within months, the deadly flu virus had killed more people than any other illness in recorded history.
Scientists, doctors, and health officials could not identify this disease which was striking so fast and so viciously, eluding treatment and defying control. Some victims died within hours of their first symptoms. Others succumbed after a few days; their lungs filled with fluid and they suffocated to death. The flu did not discriminate. It was rampant in urban and rural areas, from the densely populated East coast to the remotest parts of Alaska. Young adults, usually unaffected by these types of infectious diseases, were among the hardest hit groups along with the elderly and young children. The flu afflicted over 25 percent of the U.S. population.
This primary source comes from the Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs.
National Archives Identifier: 45499343
Full Citation: Photograph 165-WW-269B-27; Young Women Wear Masks on Shopping Expeditions During Influenza Epidemic; ca. 1918; Medical Department - Influenza Epidemic 1918; American Unofficial Collection of World War I Photographs, 1917 - 1918; Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs, Record Group 165; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/masks-shopping-influenza, September 10, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.