One of the most terrible pandemics in modern history was 1918 Influenza, which killed about 675,000 people in the United States and between 50 and 100 million worldwide. The virus was very from January of 1918 through December, 1920.
 |
| The H1N1 virus associated with 1918 flu. |
About 500 million people around the world were infected with the H1N1 influenza virus. Regions as far as the Pacific islands and the Arctic. While the disease was active, it killed between three and five percent of the world's population at that time.
Many times, 'normal flu' would strike those who are weakest physically -- elderly people, children, those with existing health conditions. In contrast, though, 1918 Influenza tended to strike at people who were previously very healthy. Young adults were typical victims of this kind of flu.
The 1918 Influenza outbreak devastated Europe, especially during World War I. During the outbreak, the virus was given the nickname of the "Spanish flu."
