Harry Truman and the 1918 Pandemic

In 1918, the most severe pandemic in recent history spread through the world at alarming rates. Nearly one-third of the world’s population became infected and approximately 50 million people succumbed world wide — over half a million in the United States.

The H1N1 virus, popularly referred to as the Spanish flu, began wreaking havoc around the globe just as World War I was coming to an end.

Thousands of American soldiers remained in Europe after the war’s conclusion due to logistical transportation issues. One soldier awaiting transport was Captain Harry S. Truman who led Battery D of the 35^th Division. Read More

100 years ago, as Captain Harry S. Truman and the rest of the 129^th Artillery were preparing to ship off to fight in the Western Front and face combat in World War I, the wives and sweethearts of the Battery D men were taking on a project of their own. These women banded together to create a quilt that was eventually raffled off to raise money to buy wool yarn, which would in turn be used to knit socks for the troops. This year only, this special quilt is on display in the Truman Library’s special exhibition, “Heroes or Corpses”: Captain Truman in World War I.

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Harry S. Truman may have entered World War I as a struggling farmer, but he left with the leadership skills and a personal network of friends that launched him into a lifetime of public service that culminated with him becoming one of the greatest presidents of the United States. Read More

The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum is commemorating the 100th anniversary of Truman entering combat during World War I this year through a new temporary exhibition, ‘Heroes or Corpses’: Captain Truman in World War I. We went behind the scenes and spoke with Curator Clay Bauske about this new exhibition.

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