HEALTH HISTORY Think this flu season was bad?

One hundred years ago — in just a year’s time — around 50 million people worldwide died during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 known as the Spanish Flu or “La Grippe.’’

The staggering death toll surpassed the number who died during World War l, even the total of four years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351.

Another interesting health fact: In 1881, Clara Barton, at age 60, founded the Red Cross. She served as its president until she resigned at age 83.

You can learn more during Public Health Week (April 2-7) when the Tewksbury-basedPublic Health Museum in Massachusetts, America’s first public health museum, sponsors two events.

A double presentation, “World War I & The Great Influenza Pandemic in Massachusetts’’ by Dr. Marian Moser Jones and “Clara Barton & The Founding of the American Red Cross’’ by Emily Thomas will be given at 7 p.m. April 4 at the Tewksbury Public Library, 300 Chandler St.

Jones, a social historian and ethicist of public health, is an associate professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland and author of “The American Red Cross, from Clara Barton to the New Deal.’’

Thomas, an adjunct professor at Nichols College, has worked as a researcher and tour guide for the Clara Barton Birthplace Museum in North Oxford. Dr. Alfred Demaria of the Massachusetts Department of Health will moderate both talks and discuss the present flu.

“Achieving Health Equity,’’ a conversation about how to create health equity in communities, will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 6, in Old Chapel, 265 East St.

Both events are free and open to the public. Registration is required. Visit publichealthmuseum.org.

PLAY BALL Baseball, two words in the 19th century, has been played in the United States since before the Civil War.

Methuen native Brian Sheehy, a baseball historian who teaches history at North Andover High School, will present “Baseball in Haverhill in the 19th century.’’

The free talk will take place in Haverhillat 7 p.m. April 3 at the Buttonwoods Museum, 240 Water St.

You can also visit a permanent exhibition commemorating the life and legacy of Supreme Court Justice William H. Moody.

Moody, who played baseball at Phillips Academy and Harvard, was the first president of the Eastern New England League. Born in Newbury, he grew up in Danvers and Salem before settling in Haverhill as a lawyer, later serving as district attorney for the Eastern District of Massachusetts.

The talk is open to the public. Visit buttonwoods.org or call 978-374-4626.

POPCORN TIME Can’t get enough documentary films?

The 11th annual Salem Film Fest will offer over 60 feature and short films, plus parties, discussions, meet-and-greets, student film showcases, and gatherings with visiting filmmakers.

The festival will run from Thursday, March 22, to March 29 in various locations in Salemand Beverly.

Catch the World Premiere of “Last Stand At Dodge,’’ as well as two US premieres and numerous local premieres.

The festival’s new locations in Beverly include The Cabot and Endicott College’s Rose Performance Hall. In Salem, you can catch viewings at CinemaSalem, the Peabody Essex Museum, the National Park Service Visitor Center, and Old Town Hall.

Join a free reception at 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 22, in Salem’s Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square.

The reception will feature a video installation on the Massachusetts opioid crisis and a virtual reality film by WGBH’s “Frontline’’ and “NOVA,’’ followed by a screening of “Minding the Gap.’’ It won the Sundance Film Festival’s US Documentary Competition Jury Award for Breakthrough Filmmaking. Director Bing Liu will be present for a Q&A afterwards.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the Salem Film Fest box office (adjacent to CinemaSalem in the Museum Place Mall hallway). The cost ranges from $250 for a VIP All-access pass to $13 for adults and $11 for seniors/students/military and veterans.

Visit salemfilmfest.com for a full listing of films, special events, ticketing, and venues.

Kathy Shiels Tully can be reached at kathy@kathyshielstully.com.