I have read a bit about the history of the Spanish Flu that killed up to 50,000,000 people from 1918 to 1920, three times more than had died in the 4 years of the Great War. The end of the war contributed to the outbreak of the flu. For instance, there was no Spanish flu in New Zealand before the troops came back.

And also the paranoia that is evident in the first post is nothing new. In 1918, you may easily guess who was blamed for the outbreak of the flu among Allied soldiers, Germany and biological warfare, of course. In fact, we now know that the flu had come over with the US soldiers arriving in the Europe theater in 1917. Now and then the human wish that someone has to be blamed for starting the flu with an ill purpose is overwhelming to some.

Why was the Spanish flu called "Spanish" then when it neither originated in Spain nor its first European outbreak was there. That also has to do with the war. The outbreak of a flu killing soldiers quicker than enemy guns did was a great worry to the generals. I have read facsimiles from German generals ordering that this cause of death should under no condition be giving when informing the next of kin. Inflating thereby BTW the number of war dead. Similarly, at home, all news about the flu were censored for the reason to keep the power and will to fight alive.

Spain was the largest European nations then that did not take part in the war. It then was the only large European nation without military censorship. So when the flu arrived in Spain some months later, the Spanish could read about the flu. So, so the first European flu victims were soldiers, most likely in France, the first reports about the flu came from Spain.

Wolfgang