Modern Marvels

Season 5, Episode 1

Episode Title: Polio Vaccine

Air Date: 1997-08-17

Overview:

When “poliomyelitis” swept the nation, thousands died or were disabled before American ingenuity, trial and error, and blatant acts of desperation led to one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs in history. We’ll see how polio shaped the vision of FDR, and catapulted the young unknown doctor Jonas Salk to international celebrity.