1918 Flu Pandemic (02:37)

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People around the world celebrate Armistice Day, but a deadly virus is sweeping the globe. The Spanish Flu kills over 50 million people. This video investigates the global outbreak.

Potential Virus Victims (02:53)

Alexander Jamieson is among the 1.5 million British soldiers in the trenches. In Manchester, Ada Barry's father tries to protect her from hardship. Dr. Basil Hood arrives in London.

Pandemic Day Zero (04:54)

A remote farm in Kansas is the likely origin point for the influenza outbreak; an army cook at Camp Funston is patient zero. The disease sweeps through the barracks, claiming 38 lives, before crossing the ocean on U.S. transport ships; it reaches the Western Front by April 1918.

Pandemic +40 Days (03:59)

Private Jamieson shows classic signs of flu as the disease replicates inside him. Over 300,000 British troops become infected; 10% die. Some of the ill in France are sent back to Britain for treatment.

Warning Mancunians (03:43)

Doctor James Niven worries about the children and elderly in Manchester; they are most vulnerable. He tracks the flu outbreak as it spreads across the city and issues a leaflet warning.

Pandemic +100 Days (02:00)

By June 1918, 130 million are infected in the U.S. and Europe, and 200,000 have died. Dr. Basil Hood and his staff fight the pandemic at St. Marylebone Hospital in London. Hood keeps a journal that details the disaster.

"Spanish Flu" (03:24)

The virus had spread to France, England, and Germany by the summer. King Alfonso XIII becomes a victim. The Spanish media covers the pandemic more openly, resulting in its moniker. It seems to recede by August.

Pandemic +180 Days (02:59)

The virus returns in September 1919, having mutated into a more dangerous form. The Army calls in Dr. William Welch to investigate the outbreak. He recommends Camp Devens be isolated.

U.S.S. Leviathan (02:37)

The converted cruise ship departs from New Jersey with 9,000 troops on Sept. 29, 1918. Overcrowded conditions are ideal for spreading influenza. Hundreds of men aboard the ship never reach the Western Front.

Pandemic +210 Days (06:24)

The Spanish Flu is worldwide by October 1918, claiming 1.4 million lives. Nivens appears in a film to raise public awareness. As the U.S.S. Leviathan approaches France, 2,000 soldiers are seriously ill, and nearly 100 are dead.

Pandemic +240 Days (03:17)

Armistice is declared on Nov. 11, 1918. By now, the Spanish Flu has claimed 60 million lives and most continents are infected. Berry's mother, father, and brother die. Hood struggles to keep his hospital running.

Pandemic +500 Days (02:16)

The Spanish Flu claims between 50 and 100 million lives by the summer of 1919. The pandemic kills more people in less time than any other plague in recorded history.

Worst Case Scenario (07:07)

The prospect of a pandemic return may becoming more likely; modern travel means a virus can travel faster and farther. Modern medicine is more advanced than that of 1918.

Credits: Flu That Killed 50 Million (00:34)

Credits: Flu That Killed 50 Million