A small group sat at a circular table in a darkened room, clasping hands and bowing their heads. They were waiting for someone — or something — to speak to them when suddenly, the candle in the middle of the table started to flicker. In the early 1900s, this eerie scene was not unusual. 

In the years after World War I and during the 1918 flu pandemic, families who had been torn apart were longing for answers about their departed loved ones. This kind of desperation gave rise to a most bizarre movement all over the world, one that promised closure…even if it meant making a few very long distance calls.

Approximately 20 million soldiers perished in World War I, but just when families were starting to rebuild, another enemy emerged: the 1918 influenza pandemic. After two years, the pandemic had claimed 50 million lives worldwide. By this time, people were desperate.

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