History

This time last year — as China's perishing winter descended across most of the country — rumours about a strange new flu were beginning to circulate in Wuhan. On China's social media platform WeChat, users had been discussing their coughs and colds for weeks with words like "SARS" and "shortness of breath" spiking from mid-November.

The timeline below tracks the development of the outbreak as it unfolds. Total cases as of July 3: 10,871,362 and 521,298 deaths.

Story about Purell ran in The New Yorker in 2013. Back then, pandemics weren’t top of mind for most Americans. It turned out the people who make Purell were way ahead of the curve when it came to antiviral hygiene.

The coronavirus pandemic has created questions among senior executives around the world they’ve never needed to address. One place they’ve been looking: Their counterparts at other corporations. And with the recent launch of History Factory’s COVID-19 Corporate Memory Project, there is a living archive of corporate responses to the pandemic, giving executives a window into what peer companies are doing now and providing a resource that may serve as a guide in future crises.

Nationwide's new marketing campaign focused on their working from home refund and promise to customers.

Deloitte ties its history of resilience and survival to its 175 year track record of serving its clients.

MassMutual is kicking off its COVID-19 relief effort with a message about hope, and the resilience of the human spirit. The campaign, entitled "Lighthouse," focuses on Boston Light, the oldest lighthouse in America, and ties the company to its legacy of service.

TriNet launches a commercial tracking their 30 year history of being there in times of struggle. From earthquakes and natural disasters to 9/11, the company stands on their history of focusing on people.

The New York Times takes an early look at how history will remember the pandemic as colleges and universities encourage Americans to document their experiences for posterity.