The Spanish Flu — a deadly postscript to WWI — started at a US military base
A mysterious illness emerged among service members in the spring of 1918. It caused deadly pneumonia and struck down healthy young men quickly. The effects on the lungs were severe, with evidence of hemorrhaging found after death.
The illness is believed to have originated in Kansas, where young men were training at a military base. The base, now part of Fort Riley, reported its first cases on March 4, 1918. Further details about this event are available from the National WWI Museum and the Army, including the rapid spread of the illness among troops at the base.
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