A few years before 1918, in the midst of the First World War, a calamity occurred that robbed the globe of at least 50 million lives. (Taubenberger, 1918) This calamity was not the death toll of the war; however, some individuals may argue that the globalization associated with World War I perpetuated the persistence of this calamity. This calamity was referred to as the Spanish Flu of 1918, but calling this devastating plague “Spanish Flu” may be a historical inaccuracy, as research and historians suggest that the likelihood of this disease originating in Spain seems very unlikely. Despite its misnomer, the Spanish flu, or the H1N1 virus' name, continued to spread around the world by passing from human to human through exhaled droplets of water that contained a deadly strand of RNA wrapped in a protein shell. Individuals who were unfortunate enough to come into contact with the contents of the protein envelope generally developed severe respiratory inflammation, as the immune system's response to the infected lung cells would destroy large parts of the lungs, thus causing the lungs to flood of liquids. Because of these floods, pneumonia was a common cause of death for people infected with the Spanish flu. Because of its genetic similarity to avian influenza, the Spanish flu is believed to be descended from avian influenza, commonly known as “bird flu.” (Billings,1997) The 1918 Spanish flu had a greater impact in terms of global significance than any other disease because it was the deadliest, easily transmitted worldwide, and occurred in an ideal time period for a disease. let it happen. However it is rationalized, fifty million people, thirty million people, and even twenty million people is a hugely huge pandemic. Emerg Infect Dis. January 2006. “The 1918 Influenza Pandemic.” Billings, Molly. Stanford University Virology. June 1, 1997. Retrieved from http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/"The Site of Origin of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic and Its Public Health Implications." Barry, John. US National Library of Medicine, January 20, 2004. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC340389/“The Spanish Flu Epidemic Begins: March 11, 1918." Global Events: Milestone Events Throughout History. Ed. Jennifer Stock. 6: North America Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2013. World History in Context March 9, 2014. “Influenza Studies Point to Isolation for Prevention.” Morning edition 3 April 2007. World history in context. 9 March 2014. "The killer flu of 1918 rebuilt". Knox, Riccardo. National Public Radio 5, 2005