Spanish Flu's Entry into the US: Originated in Kansas, 1918

Not from Spain

The 1918 pandemic likely started in the United States, at a military camp in Kansas (Camp Funston), in early 1918.

Spread

It moved quickly through military bases and civilian communities, then deployed with troops to Europe, becoming global.

The name "Spanish flu" arose because Spain, neutral in WWI, reported freely on the outbreak while wartime censors suppressed news elsewhere.