The 1918 Flu Pandemic’s Impact on Movie Theaters
With WWI coming to end, 1918 should have been a good year for the movies. Then along came influenza.
How Homeschooling Evolved from Subversive to Mainstream
The pandemic helped establish homeschooling as a fixture among educational options in the US. But it’s been around—and gaining in popularity—for a while.
Libraries and Pandemics: Past and Present
The 1918 influenza pandemic had a profound impact on how librarians do their work, transforming libraries into centers of community care.
How Children Took the Smallpox Vaccine around the World
In 1803, nearly two dozen orphan boys endured long voyages and physical discomfort to transport the smallpox vaccine to Spain's colonies.
Blaming People for Getting Sick Has a Long History
Four major theories of disease transmission dominated scientific discourse in the nineteenth century. As one scholar writes, all were political.
How to Memorialize a Plague
Vienna's baroque Plague Column, completed in 1693, gave thanks for the survival of a city.
Anti-Asian Racism in the 1817 Cholera Pandemic
We should learn from, instead of repeating, the racist assignations of the past.
How Tucson Enforced Its 1918 Mask Requirement
During the influenza pandemic, the Arizona city's police force fined and arrested people for not wearing face masks.
What If a Shrinking Economy Wasn’t a Disaster?
The degrowth movement is building a vision of a society where economies would get smaller by design—and people would be better off for it.