The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919

The Influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 has been called the greatest medical holocaust in history. Between the spring of 1918 and the summer of 1919, an estimated 20 million to 50 million deaths worldwide were attributed to the flu. Some estimates place the number of flu related deaths at 100 million. In the United States, deaths have been estimated at 477,000 and 675,000.

Philadelphia was the hardest hit of any American city with between 13,000 and 16,000 flu related deaths. The flu was at its worst in October 1918 with 11,000 deaths in that month.