Special Features
- Interview: Jeffrey Taubenberger
- Further Reading: Related Books and Websites
- General Article: Scientific Investigation of the 1918 Flu
- General Article: The First Wave
- General Article: Among the Victims
- Bonus Video: Author Interview: Dr. Alfred Crosby
The worst epidemic in American history killed over 600,000 Americans during World War I. Nicknamed "Spanish influenza," it died out quickly the following winter.
My American Experience
Share Your Story
Tell us what you think of the flu — do you think there is a significant threat of a major outbreak today like there was in 1918?
Wildcatter - A Story of Texas Oil
The tale of oil-seeking mavericks whose risk-taking, sweat and dreams changed an American industry.
Film Details
Secrets of a Master Builder
Engineer James Eads tamed the mighty Mississippi, turning New Orleans into the second largest port in the nation.
Film Details
Race to the Moon
The historic journey of Apollo 8 captivated the world in 1968 -- a bright spot in a year marked by political assassinations, race riots, and the Vietnam War.
Watch Trailer
Transcontinental Railroad
The remarkable story of how a railroad was built connecting California to the East.
Film Details
Rescue at Sea
When two passenger ships collide off Nantucket in 1909, 1,500 people rely on 26-year-old Jack Binns to operate a new technology - wireless telegraphy - to save them all.
Film Details
Grand Central
A marvel of engineering, architecture, and vision, the story of the Beaux Arts structure on 42nd street that forever changed midtown Manhattan.
Film Details
The Great Fever
Major Walter Reed's discovery in 1900 that mosquitoes spread yellow fever halted an outbreak and led to the disease's eventual eradication.
Watch Trailer
