The Explorers' Club, № DCLX

Operation AXIOM: After the World War—The Spanish Flu, Part III
November 1918: The influenza pandemic reached Spain, a neutral country where wartime censorship was not in place; King Alfonso XIII (1886-1941) contracted the flu, & his illness & recovery was widely reported; the lack of press censorship created the false impression that Spain was hit harder than the triumphant Entente Powers or the vanquished Central Powers, thus the nickname, the "Spanish Flu."

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club, № DCXXXV

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Spanish Flu, Part II
August 1918: A second wave of the 1918-1919 global influenza pandemic began to swell, with a new & deadlier mutation striking simultaneously in France, Sierra Leone, & the United States; this flu's peculiarities began to manifest, with the highest mortality rate among previously healthy young adults, normally the most robust population; the pandemic afflicted the Entente & the Central Powers alike.

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club, № DCIV

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Spanish Flu, Part I
4 March 1918: The first reported victim of the 1918-1919 global influenza pandemic, a U.S. Army cook named Albert Gitchell, took sick at Fort Riley, Kansas; within a week, over five hundred soldiers at Fort Riley had also taken ill, with additional cases in Queens, New York; possible cases had been observed in January 1918, but public health officials were slow in taking preventative measures.

Lest we forget.

Commentary: When I fell behind on the daily BLACK MAMBA post, "Saints + Scripture," I resolved that I would not publish another episode of "The Explorers' Club" 'til BLACK MAMBA was back on schedule. Alas, additional one-time demands on my time exacerbated the usual frenzied pace of Lent, leading "Saints + Scripture" to fall further & further behind, almost catching up before new days were missed, leading to continual postponements of this particular Operation AXIOM post. "Saints + Scripture" is back on track, but as a daily practice it's always only a day away from derailment; 'twill be at least a fortnight 'til "The Explorers' Club" is set aright.