Profs and Pints Online presents: “Epidemics in American History,” a look at past disease outbreaks that shaped our nation, with Allen Pietrobon, assistant professor of Global Affairs at Trinity Washington University and former professorial lecturer of history at American University.

The saying goes that “history repeats itself.” True to form, the current covid-19 crisis is not the first time that the United States has suffered through a major disease outbreak that altered American lives. In fact, up until the 1960s, epidemics were actually quite common in America; something that was always lurking in the background of American life.

Of course, by now, you’ve probably read about the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919 that killed more Americans than WWI did. In this talk, however, we will explore some of the lesser known pandemics that struck the United States over the years. How did Americans deal with sudden pandemics throughout their history? Where did they come from? Who was most affected by them? And is there anything we can learn from those experiences as we navigate our own pandemic crisis in 2020?

We'll explore the cholera epidemics that ravaged 19th century New York City. We'll look at the polio epidemic that first struck America in the 1840s and terrified generations of Americans as it killed thousands each year it returned. We'll discover some of the presidents and paupers alike who were affected or killed by epidemics. And we'll examine some of the medical advancements that helped Americans overcome this scourge.

You’ll learn lessons that we can apply going forward, and find new reason to hope we’ll be able to relegate the current pandemic to history books and resume normal life again. (This talk remains available in recorded form.)

Profs & Pints Online: Epidemics in American History