A look back to 1918's Spanish flu, and the lessons of pandemics past From the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, to the scourge of polio before a vaccine was found, and the public hysteria over a 1910 comet, we've been here before. Author of the article: Megan Stacey Publishing date: Feb 28, 2021 • February 28, 2021 • 7 minute read • Masked up, six children in a southern Alberta coal-mining family strike an arresting pose during the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, a black-and-white throwback to a common public health precaution - facial masks - widely required now to help stop the spread of COVID-19. (Canmore Museum) Article content Masking up, and shouting down restrictions. Health warnings. Home schooling and businesses closed. Scrambles to find a silver bullet. COVID-19 has turned our world upside-down, but that’s hardly radical. From the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, to the scourge of polio before a vaccine was found, and the public hysteria over a 1910 comet, we’ve been here before. Megan Stacey reports.