When the Spanish Flu hit Philadelphia in 1918, it first overwhelmed the hospitals, then the morgues, then the gravediggers.  The disaster was the fault of one man, public health director Wilmer Krusen, who allowed a Liberty Bond parade that spread the disease at a catastrophic rate. But was Krusen really at fault? We speak with James Higgins, a  history professor at Rider University whose research challenges the commonly told story.

Forgotten History

Diccon Hyatt

13 The Last Plague

MAR 27, 202041 MIN
Forgotten History

13 The Last Plague

MAR 27, 202041 MIN

Description

When the Spanish Flu hit Philadelphia in 1918, it first overwhelmed the hospitals, then the morgues, then the gravediggers. The disaster was the fault of one man, public health director Wilmer Krusen, who allowed a Liberty Bond parade that spread the disease at a catastrophic rate. But was Krusen really at fault? We speak with James Higgins, a history professor at Rider University whose research challenges the commonly told story.