Dayton Daily News: UC student’s 1918 diary offers window into Spanish influenza pandemic

Donald McKinney Wallace chronicled his experience during pandemic 102 years ago

A University of Cincinnati student from Dayton served in the Army in the fall of 1918 as the Spanish influenza spread globally.

Donald McKinney Wallace kept a diary while serving and chronicled his experience during the pandemic. His writings were preserved at the Wright State University Special Collections and Archives.

Spanish influenza was first identified in military personnel in the spring of 1918, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least 50 million deaths occurred worldwide, with 675,000 in the United States.

Read more about his experience in the Dayton Daily News.

Featured image at top: UC student Donald McKinney Wallace during World War I. Photo/Courtesy Wright State University Special Collections and Archives

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