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A Tale of Two Kansas Cities
Pandemic on the Prairie
English - August 31, 2021 15:00 - 47 minutes - 32.4 MB - ★★★★★ - 9 ratingsHistory Society & Culture history american kansas midwest pandemic local Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Previous Episode: Samuel Crumbine, Public Health Pioneer
The invisible line that runs through the middle of Kansas City may be an important political boundary, but in 1918, like today, diseases do not respect these human divides. This episode compares the Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO responses to the flu pandemic, including differences in business closures, compliance, and other “social distancing” measures. We’ll also look at the politics behind these differences, especially the operations of the Kansas City, MO democratic political machine connected to the rise of boss Tom Pendergast. What lessons can we learn from the 1918 responses across the state line that are applicable to 21st-century pandemics?