WHAT DOES HISTORY TEACH US ABOUT PANDEMICS?
Presented by noted author Kenneth Davis & the NYSCSS & Human Rights Committee
When: Wednesday, February 24, 2021 4:00 PM-EST
Where: Virtual Zoom Meeting
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Author Kenneth Davis will talk about his latest book --
More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and The First World War
At this moment of global crisis, no topic is more urgent than the Coronavirus. Declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, Covid-19 is sweeping the world, affecting individuals in every country, from China and Italy, to South Korea and Iran, from Europe to the United States.
As the number of infections and deaths continue to rise across America, the medical crisis is accompanied by both social and financial concerns. The virus has forced many changes in the way we live, cope, and teach. From social distancing to school closings to remote work patterns or — more grimly— how we envision life if we or our loved ones get sick and require hospitalization or quarantine, there is both change and high anxiety in the air as the world awaits widespread vaccinations. At the same time, this is a teaching moment. Social studies teachers know History is instructive. It offers lessons and we are wise to learn them.
Kenneth C. Davis will draw on research from his book on the subject of the Spanish Flu of 1918. He will take a brief look at the history of pandemics, focusing on what the Spanish flu pandemic during World War I meant in America and around the world. While scientists, doctors, and medical writers on the front lines are quick to point out that the Coronavirus and Spanish flu are very different, there is much to learn from studying what has gone on before.
This webinar is meant as a conversation, not a lecture, in which we will share our concerns and approaches and try to bring some of the wisdom of the past to bear on the present.
Author Bio
Kenneth C. Davis is best known as the New York Times–bestselling author of Don’t Know Much About® History, which gave rise to his “Don’t Know Much About®” series of books and audios. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller America’s Hidden History. His recent work includes three history books aimed at young adults and their parents— the critically acclaimed In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives, a finalist for the YALSA award for Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction as well as a Notable Book of the American Library Association in 2017; More Deadly Than War, a Notable Trade Book for Young People by the Children’s Book Council and National Council for the Social Studies; and Strongman: The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy, named a “Best Children’s and Young Adult book of 2020” by the Washington Post and among the “Best Young Adult Books of 2020” by Kirkus Reviews.
Davis has also written for the New York Times, Washington Post, and Smithsonian magazine, among other publications. An article he wrote for Smithsonian magazine explores the history of the Liberty Loan parade in Philadelphia in 1918 that fueled an explosive outbreak of the Spanish Flu
A frequent media guest, Davis has appeared on CBS This Morning, Today, and NPR. He was also featured in the recent CNN documentary “Pandemic” about the 1918 influenza outbreak. Davis enjoys both in-person and virtual visits with readers, teachers, students, librarians, and members of the general public. He lives in New York City and can be found on Twitter @kennethcdavis and at his website, dontknowmuch.com.
Moderated by:
Barbara Barnard, Human Rights Committee Chair
Vincent Marmarole, Human Rights Committee Chair
Allison Weller, Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School
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