In the spring of 1918, just as the man-made horrors of World War I were finally starting to wind down, Mother Nature unleashed the deadliest strain of influenza in modern history. The virus infected as much as 40 percent of the global population over the next 18 months. Of these, an estimated 20 to 50 million perished—more than the roughly 17 million people killed during the First World War. The pandemic’s grasp stretched from the United States and Europe to the remote reaches of Greenland and the Pacific islands. Its victims included the likes of President Woodrow Wilson, who contracted it while negotiating the Treaty of Versailles in early 1919.
As the pandemic reached epic proportions in the fall of 1918, it became commonly known as the “Spanish Flu” or the “Spanish Lady” in the United States and Europe. Many assumed this was because the sickness had originated on the Iberian Peninsula, but the nickname was actually the result of a widespread misunderstanding.
Personally, I think it's because it was simple and free entertainment. Given that there wasn't a taboo around death and watching others die, and it actually being encouraged, like how it was in Anciient Rome, I'd say a lot of people would actually at least try out visiting a gladiatorial contest.
As the twentieth century progressed, the size of the United States Federal Government expanded dramatically. This naturally resulted in the Vice President having to take on more of the responsibilities that the President simply didn't have time to take care of.
