Explore how politics, culture, medicine and foreign affairs impacted the severity of the Spanish Flu of 1918 and COVID-19, and how these diseases changed our world – and how COVID still does.
It’s all part of an online series by the Active Retirement Association (ARA) beginning Feb. 17 in a 10 a.m. Zoom session. Dr. Marion Dorsey will discuss why the Spanish Flu of 1918 was so deadly and the tensions, then and now, between governmental authority, public health and individual liberty. Dr. Dorsey, an associate professor of history at the University of New Hampshire, will also explain how World War I enhanced the Spanish Flu’s devastating effects.
All are welcome. Register for this or other ARA programs by emailing araseacoast@gmail.com. Please include your name, the ARA program you wish to attend, and the community where you reside. Non-Association members may attend one program per semester for free. Otherwise, there is a $25 membership fee.
Other programs in this series are:
Feb. 24: Dr. Kurk Dorsey, professor and chair, UNH Department of History, will speak about two U.S. Presidents – Woodrow Wilson and Donald Trump – who served during these worldwide epidemics.
March 3: Maddie Beihl, roleplaying coordinator at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, will introduce us to the culture and people’s reactions to the Spanish Flu on the New Hampshire Seacoast, and compare it to what is happening now.
March 10: Liz Tentarelli, co-president of the League of Women Voters of NH, will compare voting rights during COVID-19 and the Spanish Flu, when women fought to vote, and today as Americans of color still struggle to do so.
The Active Retirement Association is for people everywhere 50 and over, retired or not. Originally sparked by and still affiliated with the University of New Hampshire in Durham, the ARA is committed to “Expanding Your World” in person or via Zoom by offering lectures, workshops, discussion groups, films, cultural tours, walks/hikes, special-interest groups, and much more. For information, visit www.unh.edu/ara. Email info@ara-nh.org for membership information. See us on Facebook at Active Retirement Association.