Saturday, November 21, 2020

Did Americans ever wear masks to combat a pandemic?


Not surprisingly, yes.  During the influenza pandemic of 1818-1919 (a.k.a. "The Spanish Flu"), everyone wore masks when they were in a public setting.  For the cities that were early adopters of social distancing and mask-wearing, they flattened the curve and saves many lives.  Other cities that did not act so quickly saw massive spikes in cases and deaths. 

Click the picture for a collection of photos from the National Archives via The National Review.

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