We’ve all heard the saying, “History tends to repeat itself.” Looking at pictures of people wearing masks back in 1918 when the influenza pandemic swept across the world killing up to 50 million people, one can’t help but notice uncanny similarities to what we see on the streets today, more than a century later.
An estimated 675,000 Americans lost their lives and during the 1918 pandemic, global economies plummeted, people were out of work, food was scarce, and the world was in complete chaos. That lasted about 15 months. In addition to the flu, WWI was just ending and the global GDP declined 6%.
Following that pandemic, between 1919 and 1929, the U.S. experienced one of the longest and biggest economic expansions of recent times. That was the heyday of the roaring 20s, when millions of jobs were created and the stock market shot through the roof.
Bottom line, these current times will pass. There will be a time when we will not be wearing masks, people will be healthy, jobs will return, and poverty will diminish.
As we know, history tends to repeat itself every so often. Stay positive. This is temporary. This, too, shall pass. We have been here before and we will get through it again.
