In this coronavirus era, we can also gain some knowledge from past epidemics. One such - the flu epidemic of 1918-1919, also known as the "Spanish Flu," which killed as many as 40-million people worldwide.

It was thought to have entered the United States in Boston from sailors who were coming home after serving in World War I.

In Tennessee, over 7,721 residents died from flu-related sickness in two waves of infection. It was spread through airborne droplets from coughing and sneezing, much like today's coronavirus.

Rutherford County historian Greg Tucker says the local area wasn't immune:



Much like today, public gatherings like religious services, schools, and court sessions were canceled. Nashville was especially hard hit, with an estimated 10-to-15-thousand people infected and over 13-hundred died in the city.

Yellow fever in Memphis in the 1870's killed more than seven-thousand. Tennessee dealt with several cholera epidemics in the mid and late 1800's, even taking the life of former President James K. Polk just after he left office in 1849.

SOURCES:

https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/influenza-pandemic-of-1918-19/

https://www.influenzaarchive.org/cities/city-nashville.html