Stephanie Landsem's Blog, page 8

Giveaway: One 8-DVD set of The Chosen Series

Im interrupting my historic epidemic posts to bring you a great new series thats been taking over the internet during the quarantine.

Id heard about it but I was skeptical. A lot of biblically-based tv and even some movies are not that great (see my posts on A.D., which wasnt so great, and Risen, which was excellent) and Im always a little leery of committing to something that might be cheesy orworsehistorically innacurate, oreven worsebiblically innacurate. The Chosen is none of those...

Historic Epidemics: the Plague Doctor

Ring around the rosy, a pocket full of posies, ashes ashes we all fall down

Dont miss my next post, a giveaway of a great new Biblical series The Chosen on DVD to a lucky reader. Like my Facebook page HERE or sign up to get my newsletter HERE to make sure you dont miss out!

The Black Death. The Bubonic plague. The Great Pestilence. The Great Mortality. Whatever name you choose, 60% of the worlds population died from it in the middle of the fourteenth century. Debates continue on the hows,...

Historic Epidemics: The Face-Mask Mandates of 1918

 

 

Wear a Mask or Go To Jail

 

Are masks the answer to getting back to a new normal after COVID19? During the 1918 influenza, the widespread use of masks was a source of both confusion and controversy. Some cities and states implemented wide-spread mask usage. Others scoffed at the effectiveness.In the fall of 1918, as the second and most lethal wave of the Spanish Flu spread through the United States and the world, cities debated their individual responses. Some closed public places and...

Historic Epidemics: The Spanish Flu Didn't Come From Spain

 

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As we shelter at home and follow the rising numbers of infections and deaths from COVID-19, I have a new understanding and appreciation for the fear and devastation caused by what we know as the Spanish Flu:


A worldwide pandemic that spread like wildfire before air travel was even a thing


infected over 500 million people (about a third of the population of the planet)


over thirty million people died of the virus (a 6% death rate) and 675,000 of the deaths were Americans


an alarmly h...

Historic Epidemics: The Spanish Flu Didn’t Come From Spain

 

 

As we shelter at home and follow the rising numbers of infections and deaths from COVID-19, I have a new understanding and appreciation for the fear and devastation caused by what we know as the Spanish Flu: A worldwide pandemic that spread like wildfire before air travel was even a thing infected over 500 million people (about a third of the population of the planet) over thirty million people died of the virus (a 6% death rate) and 675,000 of the deaths were Americans an...

Historic Epidemics: Malaria in the Vatican 1623

Pope Urban VIII, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1640

****Notice to those of you who are signed up to receive blog posts by email: If youre like me, the amount of email you get since the COVID19 outbreak has tripled. If youd like to be moved to my newsletter list only, and get these blog posts in a condensed and less frequent manner, please dont hesitate to reply to this email with that request. Id be happy to move you to newsletter only. The last thing I want is to pester anyone with excess emails...

Parrot Fancier's Fever–Part 2

[image error]Bradshaw Crandall, Beautiful Lady with Parrot, circa 1929, Public Domain

In my last post, I told about how my youngest daughter contracted an obscure illness and we learned about a disease called  psittacosis –– also known as Parrot Fancier’s fever. In the process, I discovered a little-known but fascinating history of a pandemic in 1930 that led in part to the creation of what is now known as the National Institute of Health, one of the organizations on the cutting edge of research on COVID19...

Parrot Fancier’s Fever–Part 2

Bradshaw Crandall, Beautiful Lady with Parrot, circa 1929, Public Domain

In my last post, I told about how my youngest daughter contracted an obscure illness and we learned about a disease called  psittacosis also known as Parrot Fanciers fever. In the process, I discovered a little-known but fascinating history of a pandemic in 1930 that led in part to the creation of what is now known as the National Institute of Health, one of the organizations on the cutting edge of research on...

Historic Epidemics: Parrot Fancier's Fever Part 1

 

[image error]COVID19 isn’t the first epidemic to hit our world, and it won’t be the last. Since I’m a big believer in learning from history, I’d like to take a look at some of the diseases we’ve faced as a global community in the past couple thousand years and what we’ve learned from them–beginning with an obscure illness I’ve had personal experience with, believe it or not: Parrot Fancier’s Fever.

 

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In 2015, on the last day of a camping trip to North Cascades National Park, my youngest–about twelve at ...

Historic Epidemics: Parrot Fancier’s Fever Part 1

 

COVID19 isnt the first epidemic to hit our world, and it wont be the last. Since Im a big believer in learning from history, Id like to take a look at some of the diseases weve faced as a global community in the past couple thousand years and what weve learned from thembeginning with an obscure illness Ive had personal experience with, believe it or not: Parrot Fanciers Fever.

 

 

In 2015, on the last day of a camping trip to North Cascades National Park, my youngestabout twelve at the...