[ilikehurdles]

The title is fine, and reflects the factual subtitle immediately below the headline. There is no requirement to post the article headline as-is on HN.

[tntn]

But it doesn't reflect the factual subtitle. The title here says 1918, but the true trend is 1915-1918, which had a bit of a war as well.

> There is no requirement to post the article headline as-is on HN.

There is. From the guidelines:

> Otherwise [i.e. not excessive clickbait] please use the original title, unless it is misleading or linkbait; don't editorialize.

[ilikehurdles]

Apologies, you're correct. I think focusing on the year or years will bury the lede in any case.

[trentlott]

It is commonly known as "the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic"

It's a title, not a series of facts