Spanish Flu - 675,000 fatalities - Started and spread by troop movements during WWI. A study later in the pandemic found that measures such as banning mass gatherings and requiring the wearing of face masks could have cut the death rate up to 50 percent. The Anti-Mask League of San Francisco was an example of an organization formed to protest an ordinance which required people in
San Francisco,
California to wear masks during the
1918 influenza pandemic.
Covid-19 - 622,000 fatalities and counting. Started by the virus spreading via international travel from China. Spread increases due to the insane actions of Republican governors in Florida and Texas who touted freedom verses mitigation efforts. Thousands and thousands of anti-mask organizations fight containment actions in schools, businesses and other public places. Countless anti-vaccine protests and events held to promote "freedom" all the while simply extending the life of the pandemic.
We haven't learned much in the last 103 years.