Was it polio? That was the consistent diagnosis at the time. Current medical opinion is inclined to think that Franklin Delano Roosevelt might have had Guillain-Barre syndrome instead. Whatever the condition, when he was 39 his legs were paralyzed, and remained so for the rest of his life.
Read MoreCould COVID-19 could do what the 1918 influenza pandemic did and launch a dangerous second wave?
Read MoreThe 1918 flu pandemic that claimed between 50 and 100 million lives worldwide has often been referred to as the "Spanish flu." Yet per the Journal of Translational Medicine, the outbreak most likely began in Haskell County, Kansas ... which, geographically speaking, isn't in Spain.
Read MoreAmericans like to smell good, groom, and generally bathe regularly. We like our plumbing and ready access to potable water, hot when we need it and cold when we don't. And we like our toilet paper.
Read MoreForget Bruce Wayne, who carries lots of gadgets and emotional baggage. The really impressive bat-creature weighs in at less than an ounce. It's the Chinese horseshoe bat, and by some estimates, according to the New York Times, it's a possible source of the coronavirus.
Read MoreLet's just take a moment to say "you don't need to hoard toilet paper, and you're adding to a potential problem if you do." We'll get around to why in a moment.
Read MoreSome monsters were metaphorical, but there are a few that might have been based on actual things. Here are mythical monsters that might have actually existed.
Read MoreDuring the 1998-99 NBA season, the league went the extra mile to grab fans' attention after a contentious lockout. As part of that promotional effort, the Charlotte Hornets invited Master P (real name Percy Miller) to give it his best shot during a preseason tryout.
Read MoreAt this point, lots of people are afraid of the same thing: You're walking down the street minding your own business, when suddenly, some random person coughs at you, and boom! You now have coronavirus. But is that how it would work? How long does it last in the air?
Read MoreMedical historian Joseph Waring called the 1918 flu "the greatest medical holocaust in history," according to the Spokesman-Review.
Read MoreHere are some things the virus itself does not like.
Read More"Pandemics are inherently unpredictable in appearance and severity," so it's by no means guaranteed that waves will occur at all. However, both the Black Death and the 1918 flu had hellacious second waves. So why might these second waves happen?
Read MoreThe effects of the novel coronavirus are widespread and difficult to overstate. Among the hardest-hit areas of the world's economy is the travel industry.
Read MoreIt's pretty clear that information about COVID-19 is, well, going viral. As is the virus itself. Health authorities have repeatedly requested that people do their best to stay calm, and wash their hands twenty seconds at a time. Nonetheless, a lot of people have become ill in a short time period.
Read MoreIf you're not sure about shelling out $6.99 a month for a Disney+ subscription, don't worry: the Disney family definitely does not need your pocket change.
Read MoreWhen it comes to acts of unspeakable evil, common knowledge goes that serial killers are either Machiavellian geniuses or an intellectually-stunted oddballs. Think of Jigsaw or Leatherface. However, as is often the case with attempts to assign unflappable truths, this is an oversimplification.
Read MoreAs the coronavirus pandemic spreads emotional and economic panic across the globe, misinformation has gone viral, as well. However, when it comes to bogus coronavirus cures, disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker takes the cake
Read MoreThe Chernobyl incident was the worst nuclear disaster in human history, and as a result, the area around the reactor — known as the exclusion zone — was evacuated. To this day, it remains illegal to live there. However, that didn't stop some resilient inhabitants from remaining.
Read MoreCOVID-19 is an increasingly worrisome disease for many countries. Sure, the rich might have access to private jets and other means of lowering the risk of contagion, but it looks like everybody else just has to power through and follow the World Health Organization's protective measures.
Read MoreIf the name Sylvia Browne rings a bell, you may recall her as the self-described psychic who routinely appeared on The Montel Williams Show and Larry King Live. Browne, who died in 2013, wrote that, "In around 2020 a severe pneumonia-like illness will spread throughout the globe..."
Read MoreBorn April 4th, 2012 and affixed with the moniker Tardar Sauce, the mixed-breed dwarf kitten with a perpetually perturbed outer appearance became known to the world at large as Grumpy Cat, an internet celebrity of such ubiquity as to command her own personal brand.
Read MoreHoping to stem the spread, organizations and individuals are taking steps to get the hell away from each other. With more postal and parcel services will play a vital role in acquiring food and other necessities and paying rent. But what happens if a package handler catches the coronavirus?
Read MoreWith the novel coronavirus at the forefront of the public consciousness, it's only natural to try and put it into context, filing it away with other potentially deadly diseases. And no illness gets compared more frequently to coronavirus than the flu.
Read MoreThe beginning of spring typically sees a reduction in flu-like infections, but with the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe could we see a late season resurgence?
Read MoreWhat started as a local skirmish in Wuhan has now reached global status has now escalated to a point where the World Health Organization has classified the outbreak as a pandemic. Still, while we might be dealing with this particular virus for a while, surely it must die down at some point?
Read MoreFlorence Nightingale invented the modern nursing profession and changed the course of public health forever. But the woman who did so much to improve health care spent much of her own life sickly, reclusive, and averse to media attention. This is the tragic life of Florence Nightingale.
Read MoreIn March 2020, Afghanistan learned firsthand that the saying "two heads are better than one" doesn't apply to heads of state.
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