Whatever Happened to Polio?

In the United States, polio was the most notorious disease of the 20th century until AIDS appeared. On April 12, 1955, it was announced that Jonas Salk, using March of Dimes donations from millions of people, had developed a vaccine to prevent polio.

This website, Whatever Happened to Polio?, was created in conjunction with a temporary exhibition installed at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The exhibition opened on April 12, 2005, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the announcement of the polio vaccine, and closed in April 2006.

In 2022, the website was reformatted and retains most of the original content from 2005.

 

Sponsors


Presenting Sponsor

March of Dimes

Also Sponsored By

Rotary International

Salk Institute for Biological Studies

With Additional Support

From Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control Prevention

M & R Management Company