In this, my first podcast in 10 months, I talk about an illness that gripped the world over 100 years ago, the 1918 Spanish Flu.  From the origins of the epidemic to the four waves that spread across the globe, this remains one of the most deadly epidemics in human history.

I touch on quite a bit, but the part that’s the most fascinating is how San Francisco cut itself off from the rest of the world during the second wave of the flu.  And then, after doing so well, and after catering to “anti-quarantine/anti-mask-wearing” individuals, San Francisco opened themselves back up – just in time to be decimated by a third wave.  This info needs to broadcast for people to watch today – especially the anti-quarantine/anti-mask-wearing folks who insist on keeping us unsafe by their need to go out for a drink and a haircut.

As usual, you can download the latest podcast from here, find us on iTunes, find us on Stitcher, or listen to the episode in the embedded player below.

Sources for the podcast are:

• Wikipedia: Spanish Flu
• US Centers for Disease Control: 1918 Pandemic (H1N1 virus), 1918 Pandemic Influenza: Three Waves
• US National Institutes of Health: The site of origin of the 1918 influenza pandemic and its public health implications
• The Guardian (UK): How the 1918 flu pandemic rolled on for years
• Business Insider: Photos show how San Francisco emerged from a lockdown too soon during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, leading to an even deadlier 2nd wave that rampaged through the city
• Channel 4 News via Archive.org: Spanish Flu Facts