As D.C. residents grapple with nearly a month of self-isolation due to the coronavirus, looking back to the past can provide some much-needed perspective.
In 1918, an outbreak of an influenza virus commonly known as the Spanish flu epidemic began rapidly spreading across the globe.
By October 1, 1918, the D.C. Health Department had issued public health directives warning the public to wash their hands, "hold before [their] face a cloth" when sneezing or coughing and to "keep out of places where people congregate."
By early October, businesses, shops and churches were closed, public hearings were postponed and physicians were told to keep influenza patients isolated.
Cases rose throughout the month, but by the end of October, churches and schools reopened. By the end of November 1918, business hours had returned to normal. Residents continued to get sick at lower numbers throughout the winter.
Altogether, from October 1918 to February 1919, more than 30,000 Washington residents contracted the virus, and nearly 3,000 died. More than 675,000 people are believed to have died from the virus in the United States, and more than 50 million lives were lost worldwide, according to the CDC.
Explore the pictures and documents below to see what life was like in Washington, D.C., during the 1918 influenza pandemic.
11 photos
1/11
Library of Congress Photo Company Collection
Demonstration at the Red Cross Emergency Ambulance Station in Washington, D.C., during the influenza pandemic of 1918.
2/11
Library of Congress Photo Company Collection
At an influenza ward at Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, D.C., a nurse takes a patient’s pulse. Original photograph by Harris & Ewing.
3/11
National Archives Catalog - National Archives at College Park
Headquarters of the Emergency Corps in Washington, D.C., during the 1918 Influenza epidemic. Automobile owners were asked to list their machines here for use during the epidemic.
4/11
Library of Congress: Printed Ephemera
The D.C. Health department issued advice on the care and patients suffering from influenza and pneumonia and as to the prevention of diseases. (Washington, D.C., Oct. 1, 1918) See enlarged image here.
5/11
National Archives Catalog
Mrs. McAdoo, wife of the Secretary of the Treasury, and chairman of the Red Cross Committee of the Treasury Department, established a relief corps for employees of the government in Washington who were stricken with Spanish Influenza.
6/11
National Archives Catalog - National Archives at College Park
War workers from the Munitions Building in Washington, D.C. are served hot chocolate during the influenza epidemic. The building was near 18th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, the National Park Service says.
7/11
National Archives Catalog
“Anti-Waste Campaign” with the U.S. Food Administration in Washington, D.C. This experimental laboratory was used as a kitchen during the influenza epidemic.
8/11
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog
Demonstration at the Red Cross Emergency Ambulance Station in Washington, D.C., during the influenza pandemic of 1918.
9/11
National Archives - National Archives at New York City. Record Group 181
A directive from Washington, D.C., regarding treatment and procedures, urging sick people to follow advice that sounds familiar in 2020: "Stay at home and remain there until the fever is over." (September 26, 1918, Naval Districts and Shore Establishments). See enlarged image here.
10/11
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog
Demonstration at the Red Cross Emergency Ambulance Station in Washington, D.C., during the influenza pandemic of 1918.
11/11
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog
The Red Cross Emergency Ambulance station of the District of Columbia Chapter is usually a busy place. But during the influenza epidemic of the autumn of 1918 it was worked overtime.
