Title
Resolution recognizing The M?tter Museum's ambitious exhibition detailing the size, scope, and impact of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 in Philadelphia, and its historically significant research on the topic.
Body
WHEREAS, In 1918 the Influenza Pandemic hit Philadelphia, ultimately killing more than 17,000 people. Philadelphia suffered the highest mortality rate of any major American city, the epicenter of a disease that arrived in summer 1918 and stayed until March 1919. The Influenza Pandemic is also known as the Spanish Flu; and
WHEREAS, The Influenza Pandemic killed between 50 million to 100 million people worldwide, and 700,00 in the United States alone; and
WHEREAS, The Liberty Loan Parade was set up by the Federal Government to encourage patriotism and the purchasing of bonds. Physicians attempted to warn the public of the flu, as 300 sailors in the City had recently been hospitalized with the Influenza Flu. However, the parade continued as planned, and roughly 200,000 people lined the parade route; and
WHEREAS, This number of people congregating on the two-mile route of the parade probably helped spread the Influenza, serving as a pivotal moment for the awareness of the pandemic. The parade unknowingly helped spread the sickness that would kill roughly 17,000 people in six months; and
WHEREAS, While the flu had a lasting impact on the people of Philadelphia - the flu has been lost to history. No monuments, no recognition for the people who lost their lives. Shortly after the flu ended, the First World War ended, distracting people from their recent losses; and
WHEREAS, On October 17, 2019 the M?tter Museum opened an exhibition titled "Spit Spreads Death: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19 in Philadelphia". The exhibition details the facts around the pandemic, the impacts of the Liberty Loan Parade, and the people that lost their lives; and
WHEREAS, The digital interactive exhibits will include the ability to explore the impacts of the pandem...
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