The first cases of Spanish flu appeared in March 1918 in Kansas.
The New York Times examined the chronology of the first orders of masks issued in October 1918.
San Francisco had the first order for masks. It lasted four weeks until November 21, 1918.
San Francisco implemented a second order of masks in December 1918 after the deaths rose again.
This second order lasted about two months until early February 1919.
It is also important to note that the masks of 1918 did not resemble the masks we have now.
Most people were forced to wear gauze attached with duct tape. Newspapers printed instructions on how to make your own masks at home.
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