Irrational Explanations About How Pandemics Spread

Troops approaching Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, 6th June 1944. These U.S. Army infantry men are amongst the first to attack the German defenses. (Credit: Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images)

Relief workers and investigators looking through the rubble after the Oklahoma City bombing. (Credit: Greg Smith/REA/Redux)

Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock and William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk.

In 1952, the Flatwoods Monster Terrified 6 Kids, a Mom, a Dog—and the Nation

Roy Wenzl

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<a href="https://slack-redir.net/link?url=http%3A%2F%2FHISTORY.com">HISTORY.com</a> is covering a range of angles about pandemics of the past to help frame the COVID-19 crisis.

Pandemics

The Vietnam War pitted communist North Vietnam and the Viet Cong against South Vietnam and the United States. The war ended when U.S. forces withdrew in 1973 and Vietnam unified under Communist control two years later.

Vietnam War

The 1990s is often remembered as a decade of relative peace and prosperity: The Soviet Union fell, ending the decades-long Cold War, and the rise of the Internet ushered in a radical new era of communication, business and entertainment. However, the decade was not without violence and tragedy, including the Bosnian genocide, the Rodney King beating and subsequent L.A. Riots, and the bombing of the World Trade Center. The Columbine High School shooting marked a solemn chapter in gun violence, and the devastatingly deadly Oklahoma City bombing by a domestic terrorist followed lethal standoffs between federal agents and armed civilians at Ruby Ridge, Idaho and Waco, Texas.

1990s

World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.

World War II

The Middle Ages, the medieval period of European history between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance, are sometimes referred to as the "Dark Ages."

Middle Ages

Paranormal activity refers to any event or situation outside the scope of modern scientific reasoning, such as UFO sightings, the Roswell crash, the predictions of Nostradamus and other curiosities.

Roy Wenzl ‑ Stories

How Diseases Spread: Ways People Have Tried to Explain Pandemics Through History

How the Original ‘Star Trek’ Addressed the War in Vietnam

In 1952, the Flatwoods Monster Terrified 6 Kids, a Mom, a Dog—and the Nation

How D‑Day Changed the Course of WWII

Oklahoma City Bombing: What Happened After the Smoke and Dust Cleared