Research Guides: Common Read: Library Sources for the Great Influenza: Hawaiʻi

1918 Flu Pandemic in Hawaiʻi

Influenza Deaths in Hawai'i, 1918 - 1920, by Robert C. Schmitt and Eleanor C. Nordyke
Schmitt, Robert C., and Eleanor C. Nordyke. “Influenza Deaths in Hawai’i, 1918 - 1920.” Hawaiian Journal of History 33 (1999).
A detailed account of the impact of the 1918 flu pandemic on Hawaiʻi, written by two well-established Hawaiʻi researchers and demographers.

Hawaiʻi Newspapers

Through newspapers you can see how the 1918 flu pandemic affected day-to-day living. Chronicling America is an excellent resource for US newspaper content.

TIPS:

Use Advanced Search
Select Hawaii from States
Set date range to 1918-1920
Search words matter!
More search strategies and sample pages here

SEARCH WORDS	PARAMETERS	ALL STATES PAGES 1918-1920	HAWAIʻI PAGES, 1918-1920
SPANISH FLU	as a phrase	2,062	5
SPANISH INFLUENZA	as a phrase	15,930	36
GRIPPE		35,293	30
INFLUENZA		107,280	173
GRIPPE INFLUENZA	any of the words	131,814	196

COMMUNITY AND ETHNIC NEWSPAPERS

In addition to the islands' main daily newspapers, which are included in Chronicling America, there were (and are) many other newspapers published in Hawaiʻi. Each newspaper was published for a specific audience, such as ethnic communities or religious groups. These newspapers provide insight into the different perspectives and experiences of these groups.

While many of these newspapers remain undigitized, they are available on microfilm, which you can access at Hamilton Library.

Examples of newspapers published between 1918-1920:

Hawaiian newspapers (many of these are available through nupepa.org)
Japanese newspapers (many of these papers are available online through the Hoji Shunbun project)
Chinese newspapers
Kauaʻi newspapers

Honolulu Star-Advertiser Database
Search the full-text content of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser (June 6, 2010 - present), the Honolulu Advertiser (Nov. 30, 2002-June 6, 2010) and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Mar. 18, 1996-June 6, 2010).
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Other Epidemics in Hawaiʻi

Shutting Down Hawai‘i: A Historical Perspective on Epidemics in the Islands, by Doug Herman
Herman, Doug. “Shutting Down Hawai‘i: A Historical Perspective on Epidemics in the Islands.” smithsonianmag.com, March 25, 2020.

Plague and Fire: Battling Black Death and the 1900 Burning of Honolulu's Chinatown by Mohr, James C.
Call Number: RC176.H3 M64 2005
ISBN: 9780195162318
Publication Date: 2005
A little over a century ago, bubonic plague--the same Black Death that decimated medieval Europe--arrived on the shores of Hawaii just as the islands were about to become a U.S. territory. In this narrative, the author tells the story of that fearful visitation and its fiery climax--a vast conflagration that engulfed Honolulu's Chinatown. He tells this gripping tale largely through the eyes of the people caught up in the disaster, from members of the white elite to Chinese doctors, Japanese businessmen, and Hawaiian reporters. Available online.
The Gifts of Civilization: Germs and Genocide in Hawaiʻi by Bushnell, O. A.
Call Number: RA448.5.H38 B87 1993
Publication Date: 1993
A series of essays: 1. Life and the Land -- 2. Two Unprovable Hypotheses -- 3. The Native Medical Profession -- 4. Kahuna Lapa'au After 1778 -- 5. 1778: An End, and a Beginning -- 6. Exploration and Exploitation: 1786-1825 -- 7. The Time of Troubles -- 8. The Time of Dying -- 9. Many Who Came Have Vanished. Available online.