Ways of Seeing: Virus outbreak of 1924 overtook California in unprecedented ways

In 1924 a virus outbreak overtook the state of California in unprecedented ways. The virus, known in Latin as aphtae epizooticae is a hardy virus that can spread rapidly. Virus particles can survive for two weeks on wool and for three months on leather, rubber, and hay. It can live on people’s clothing and in their throats as they travel. Cars or trains can carry the disease across town, county, state, or international lines.  Once infected, one may not show symptoms for days. And those who survive the viru … (read more)

There is a lot going on in the world right now, but I confess that I have been frequently and somewhat blissfully unaware of most of it. At the moment, I am suffering from some health issues that prevent me from spending too much time on the computer and … (read more)

“We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and to the future.” Frederick Douglass said that in a speech he delivered on July 5, 1852, in Rochester, N.Y. As a historian, I think a lot about the past. I am trained to study it, … (read more)