American Experience - Influenza 1918

Well researched & frightening. We were warned but chose not to listen.

I was very pleased with this episode. The problem with documentaries such as this is time. There is a lot to be told in a short amount of time. If you want true in-depth information, then I recommend a book. However if you want a visual, and seeing people who lived through it, then this is the one you want. This documentary interviews several living survivors, which of course were children at the time of the pandemic. They share their memories, the loss of their family and friends, as well as their pain. There are photographs of overcrowded hospitals, reminiscent of the hospital scene in Gone With the Wind. One adult surviving victim recorded her tribulation and her writings describe the absolute pain and suffering she went through. I am a nurse and have worked for 23 years. She shared something that I had never even heard of, in all of those years. I had to look it up. I won't spoil it for you, but let's just say she went through 'hell on earth'. I do want to make a correction though. One reviewer wrote how the second wave was not at all mentioned, in this episode. That is incorrect because it most definitely was. It's important for me to say that because I'd hate for anyone to ignore this, thinking that were true. Perhaps the reviewer saw another documentary and confused it with this one (there is no verified purchase, so that seems likely). Anyway, I just wanted to make that point. All in all, this is a very moving, if not frightening, episode of the great American Experience series. I highly recommend it.

I would think that anyone who lived through the Covid-19 experience heard of and was curious about the Influenza Epidemic at the End of the First World War. It was known as the Spanish Flu and hit the world like an Earthquake. People who identified as sick in the morning, many times were dead by nightfall. Never having experience something so large and so lethal, authorities made decisions of calculated risk to realize they had fueled the epidemic even further. This DVD is both instructive, terrifying and ultimately reassuring chronicle for humanity. It is an education in American history for us all.

“Influenza 1918” is a very interesting documentary on the infamous Flu pandemic of 1918. Various historians, scholars, epidemiologists, and survivors of the pandemic are interviewed throughout the film. The DVD is an hour long. While they are different illnesses, I was both surprised and intrigued by the similarities between the 1918 Flu pandemic and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. This DVD is a great way to learn about the impact of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic on world history. While they are very different diseases, this documentary is certainly a perfect documentary to watch given the current situation in which the world finds itself with COVID-19. The quarantine methods favored by medical experts back then are virtually identical---including social distancing (although they don’t use that term and probably didn’t use that term back in 1918).' My only criticism is that throughout the documentary, people kept referring to this outbreak as an "epidemic"---when in reality, it was a PANDEMIC, since it effected people on multiple continents ALL AROUND THE WORLD. An epidemic only effects one society, while a pandemic effects many societies all at once. Despite this one minor inaccuracy, I would still highly recommend this documentary to anyone wishing to learn about this particularly tumultuous period of our history.

This is an incredible DVD! I had known that my grandfather died of the "flu" in 1918...but never realized the full impact of this! He was only 29 years old. Now, having a 29 year old son & threat of a pandemic H1H1 flu, I became interested in this mysterious & deadly pandemic of the past. Although it is very sad & painful to watch in parts, you will be sitting on the edge of your seat watching this. It is amazing that so MANY people are no longer aware of this tragedy. It prompted me to visit my grandfather's grave. I found that his name had never been engraved on the family stone. His brother-in-law had also passed at the same time & was in an unmarked grave as well. I had their names put on the stone last October. Probably never would have been aware or prompted to do this if it weren't for this DVD. Hoping their rest is more peaceful now! Susan A-C (Boston, Ma)

My grandparents and their infant son (my uncle) lived through the Influenza Epidemic of 1918. They never spoke of the epidemic and I wanted to learn what they went through. I was amazed at the number of people who died and how quickly they died. I found this very informative, especially after going through the COVID pandemic.

It is very similar to what is our current situation with COVID19. A pandemic, war, and many unhappy people with great frustrations about the future due to uncertainty amid a new Covid strain. The documentary is well put together and describes the past, as though it is happening today. A good reflection to help move forward. I highly recommend this presentation.

I saw this documentary on PBS not too far into the 2020 pandemic. It was so similar to what this generation was experiencing. And yet people do not take account of what’s going on.

There’s not enough documentaries on the largest flu pandemic in human history. This documentary is from the late 90’s/early 2000’s. But as the 💯th anniversary of 1918 neared interest intensified in the pandenic. That interest fueled deeper research and investigation revealing a much higher death toll than once thought. This documentary says 30 million worldwide. But today it’s known that a minimum of 50 million but most likely closer to and upwards of 100 million worldwide. 4 stars instead of 5 because it needs an update. But still awesome due the fact that it as first hand accounts of survivors.