# The World is shutting down.....last time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2020, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419 "2020-03-13T16:13:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/1 "2020-03-13T16:13:56Z")
When was the last time the whole planet had such a massive simultaneous shutdown? Not for SARS or H1N1. What about in 1957 or 1968? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/2 "2020-03-13T16:28:50Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > When was the last time the whole planet had such a massive simultaneous shutdown? > Not for SARS or H1N1. What about in 1957 or 1968? What happened in 1957 and 1968? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/3 "2020-03-13T16:29:14Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > When was the last time the whole planet had such a massive simultaneous shutdown? > Not for SARS or H1N1. What about in 1957 or 1968? 9/11 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/4 "2020-03-13T16:42:59Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > 9/11 Concur. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/5 "2020-03-13T16:50:59Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > What happened in 1957 and 1968? Infleunza Pandemics. > [@Telemark](#): > > 9/11 The “World” is not restricted to the United States. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/6 "2020-03-13T16:57:56Z")
It did have significant impact around the world though. Albeit for a limited time compared to a pandemic. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/7 "2020-03-13T17:19:24Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > The “World” is not restricted to the United States. The shutdown wasn’t restricted to the US. Granted, it was much shorter duration, but lots of things were shut down around the world. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/8 "2020-03-13T17:25:19Z")
The Y2K Panic was worldwide but in the end it really amounted to nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/9 "2020-03-13T17:28:00Z")
I heard World War II was rather inconvenient. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/10 "2020-03-13T17:44:50Z")
Thread title made me think some Brit tabloid was being re-shuttered. Silly me. Sure, the planet is closing shop. Have a nice day. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/11 "2020-03-13T17:47:48Z")
As a 57 year old American, this is easily the largest societal disruption in my lifetime. Worldwide, the closest thing to it is probably the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. But even that was largely confined to coastal areas. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/12 "2020-03-13T17:57:22Z")
The fear of polio produced noticeable social distancing in US cities in the 40s and early 50s, but of course nothing like what we’re seeing today. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/13 "2020-03-13T19:51:22Z")
There’s been nothing remotely like this since WW II. I don’t know how the world reacted to the Spanish flu; that was before my time. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/14 "2020-03-13T23:31:59Z")
The advent of mass-market air travel means it has spread around continents much faster than the Spanish Flu a hundred years ago. Back then something which originated in China might have taken the best part of a year to get here. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/15 "2020-03-14T03:19:21Z")
I worked in a call center in the US. It had a huge scoreboard in the office tracking number of calls, regions, wait times and so on. When the O J Simpson verdict was announced, the thing went to zero and stayed that way basically for hours. It was remarkable to see. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/16 "2020-03-14T03:27:15Z")
Nm ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/17 "2020-03-14T03:28:35Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > 9/11 > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Concur. Rather myopic. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/18 "2020-03-14T04:01:27Z")
I was living abroad when 9/11 happened, and I don’t remember this scale of shutdown. Life went on pretty normally, though with an odd cloud over it, but there was no hoarding, mass hysteria, people locking themselves inside, anything like that. For a few days there was some confusion in terms of air travel, but that’s about all I remember. I don’t remember any sort of deviance from daily life other than the general mood of the people. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/19 "2020-03-14T04:42:20Z")
> [@Mk\_VII](#): > > The advent of mass-market air travel means it has spread around continents much faster than the Spanish Flu a hundred years ago. Back then something which originated in China might have taken the best part of a year to get here. While there wasn’t mass market air travel, there was WWI, which led to huge numbers of men being moved all around the globe and then staying in cramped conditions. If they got sick, someone healthy got swapped in. Damn good times for a virus. And it could indeed have originated in China…although the data to suggest this is just anecdotal, and there’s anecdotal evidence to also suggest the US as the origin. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419/20 "2020-03-15T01:46:02Z")
For forty years I pointed to the weekend of President John F Kennedy’s assassination (killed on Friday, burial on Monday) as a totally eerie shutdown of the USA. That was eclipsed by the events of 9/11. (To take one terribly mundane example, it took two full weeks for television programming to get back to normal.) Neither of those are even jokingly comparable to what’s going on now. Not only were those primarily USA-centric (as so many posters have already pointed out) but this is so very lengthy, and we haven’t even reached the worst of it yet! Someone mentioned World War II. Granted that the Americans didn’t suffer even to a fraction of what Europe endured, but there were massive shortages and rationing, not to mention soldiers’ lives lost. And it lasted years. Only history will tell how to compare this to that. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-shutting-down-last-time/849419.md?page=2)