2020 Hometown Heroes

2020 Hometown HEROES Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS May 14, 2020 Page 177 Introduction A bout a week ago, LDN decided it would be good to take a look at a historical pandemic that had a devastating impact on the world. We wondered how our community was impacted by the Spanish Flu that took the lives of many, many people worldwide during a timeline that began in 1918 and concluded in 1920. We reached out to local historian, author, and retired educator Bill Donath. We asked him if he had some information that we could share about the Spanish Flu and how it impacted Logan County. As it turns out, Donath has spent the last five years researching and writing on that very topic. He put together a 261-page book about the Spanish Flu and the lives it impacted locally. Donath has completed his book and it had been sent off to the printer just prior to the outbreak of corona virus in the United States. And, irony on irony, the printing of that book has been suspended because of our current situation, the first world pandemic since Spanish Flu. However, Donath was kind enough to write up a synopsis of the book and provide it to us to assist in our quest. That synopsis is being published as presented by Donath. About the Spanish Flu The Spanish Flu began in 1918 and was officially considered to be over in 1920. The flu was highly contagious and deadly. According to information on the CDC website, the flu infected approximately 500 million people worldwide – one third of the world population. In the United States 50 million people were infected and there was an estimated 675,000 deaths in our country. In Logan County, there were at least 3,100 confirmed cases and an estimated 436 deaths. The Spanish Flu was an H1N1 type flu. That may sound familiar to many today because though we don’t say “Spanish Flu” any longer, we do hear H1N1 every year, and it is one strain that is included in flu vaccines. It is not known exactly where the Spanish Flu originated, but it is known that it came into the United States with members of the military who had been in Europe in 1918. The Spanish Flu was reported to have the worst impact on younger people, those in their 20s and 30s, and even very young children. About Covid-19 There are two words associated with this 2020 pandemic – Covid-19 and coronavirus. COMMUNITY: WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER! The Logan County Experience The Spanish Flu and Covid-19 CONTINUED u