Science Medical Virus Polio | History by KabAstro

Historical Events

Polio

1894-06-17 1st US poliomyelitis epidemic breaks out in Rutland, Vermont

FDR Struck Down with Illness

1921-08-10 FDR stricken with a paralytic illness at summer home on Canadian island of Campobello. At the time it was thought to be polio, but could possibly have been Guillain–Barré syndrome

1938-01-03 March of Dimes established to fight polio

Vaccine for Polio

1953-03-26 Dr. Jonas Salk announces that he has successfully tested a vaccine to prevent polio, clinical trials began the next year

Medical Researcher and Virologist Jonas Salk

1954-02-23 First mass inoculation against polio with the Jonas Salk vaccine takes place at Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1954-04-26 Mass trials of Jonas Salk's anti-polio vaccine begin; the first shot is delivered in Fairfax County, Virginia; more than 443,000 children receive shots over three months
1955-04-12 Polio vaccine tested by Jonas Salk announced to be 'safe and effective' and is given full approval by the US Food and Drug Administration
1955-11-03 Scientists Carlton E. Schwerdt and Fred L. Schaffer announce they have crystallized the pure polio virus, meaning they can better determine the virus' chemical and biological properties

Oral Polio Vaccine

1956-10-06 Scientist Albert Sabin announces that his oral polio vaccine is ready for testing; it would soon supplant Jonas Salk's vaccine in many parts of the world

2012-02-25 World Health Organization removes India from the list of polio endemic countries
2012-12-18 6 health workers dispensing polio vaccinations are gunned down in Pakistan
2018-06-26 Polio outbreak confirmed in New Guinea by WHO, 18 years after it was declared free of the disease
2019-08-21 Nigeria goes three years without a case of polio in landmark toward eradication of the disease
2020-08-25 WHO announces that Africa has eradicated polio (defined as four years since last case)

Famous Birthdays

1897-02-10 John Franklin Enders, American microbiologist (1954 Nobel in Physiology or Medicine for culturing poliovirus, developed measles vaccine), born in West Hartford, Connecticut (d. 1985)

Albert Sabin (1906-1993)

1906-08-26 Polish American physician who invented the oral polio vaccine, born in Bialystok, Russian Empire

Jonas Salk (1914-1995)

1914-10-28 American medical researcher and virologist who created the Polio vaccine, born in New York City

1920-10-24 Julius Youngner, American scientist, helped develop Salk polio vaccine, born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2017)
1945-08-31 Itzhak Perlman, Israeli Grammy Award-winning violinist, and polio survivor, born in Tel Aviv, Israel

2017-04-27 Julius Youngner, American virologist, helped develop Salk polio vaccine, dies at 96
2018-08-20 Eddie Willis, American guitar and sitar player (The Funk Brothers), dies of polio complications at 82