NPR

'We Haven't Learned From History': 'Radio Influenza' Is A Warning From 1918

A computerized voice reads newspaper stories from the 1918 flu pandemic in this haunting audio project. "I wanted it to sound like a broadcast from a dystopian future," says artist Jordan Baseman.

The last great pandemic struck the world more than 100 years ago. But voices from that time can still be heard in Radio Influenza, a haunting work of audio art available online.

The voices are not real. They're computerized. They sound tinny and faraway as they read fragments of newspaper stories from 1918, when the so-called Spanish flu

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR4 min read
Pro-Palestinian Campus Protesters Face Looming Deadlines And Risk Of Arrest
Hundreds of students have been arrested for participating in pro-Palestinian protests in recent days. And some schools, like Columbia and GW, have given them deadlines to dismantle their encampments.
NPR2 min readWorld
A Baby Girl Born Orphaned And Premature After An Israeli Airstrike In Gaza Has Died
The newborn died after five days in an incubator. Her family was killed in an air strike. UNICEF says 13,000 children have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, with thousands more orphaned and wounded.
NPR3 min read
American Airlines Passenger Alleges Discrimination Over Use Of First-class Restroom
In a complaint to the airline, Pamela Hill-Veal, a retired judge, says that while on a Chicago-to-Phoenix flight, a flight attendant berated her and accused her of slamming the lavatory door.

Related Books & Audiobooks