Today in Johnson City History, Wednesday, March 11, 2026

The Spanish flu, a "bee" and much more

Monday, March 11, 1918: On this day, “The first cases of the ‘Spanish’ influenza were reported in the United States when 107 soldiers became sick at Fort Riley, Kansas. By the end of 1920, nearly 25 percent of the United States population had been infected. As many as 500,000 civilians died from the virus, exceeding the number of our troops killed abroad in World War One. Worldwide, more than 1 percent of the global population, or 22 million people, had died by 1920 because of the virus. The origin of the virus was never determined absolutely, though it was probably somewhere in Asia. The name ‘Spanish’ influenza came from the relative high number of cases in that country early in the epidemic. Due to the panic, cancellation of public events was common, and many public service workers wore masks on the job. Emergency tent hospitals were sent up in some locations due to overcrowding.”