Conquering Polio | The March of Dimes | 1

Conquering Polio | The March of Dimes | 1

In the summer of 1921, 39-year-old Franklin Delano Roosevelt was on vacation with his family when he developed a fever, muscle aches, and chills. Pain spread to his legs, and soon, he was paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors diagnosed him with polio, which was fast becoming America’s most dreaded infectious disease.

Every summer, polio struck without warning, causing swimming pools and movie theaters to close and panicked parents to keep their children indoors. Polio killed thousands of Americans each year and paralyzed many more. But scientists had no idea how to stop it.

Roosevelt and his friend and colleague Basil O’Connor resolved to change that, launching the March of Dimes, a revolutionary fundraising campaign that galvanized millions of Americans to donate their time and money to the fight against polio.

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Episoder(476)

The Age of Jackson | The Little Magician | 5

The Age of Jackson | The Little Magician | 5

During the last years of Jackson's presidency, the economy flourished. The national debt was paid in full, industry and agriculture boomed. But when Martin Van Buren assumed the presidency, he inherit...

25 Apr 201835min

The Age of Jackson | Great White Father | 4

The Age of Jackson | Great White Father | 4

During his political rise, Jackson distinguished himself with his ability to exact ruthless military victories over indigenous people. As President Native Americans felt the brunt of this power. Whate...

18 Apr 201835min

The Age of Jackson | King Mob | 3

The Age of Jackson | King Mob | 3

From the beginning, Jackson's administration was riddled with controversy. Citizens mobbed the White House on inauguration day, breaking furniture and fine china. They were only lured out with alcohol...

11 Apr 201832min

The Age of Jackson | Good Feelings | 2

The Age of Jackson | Good Feelings | 2

In the summer of 1817, President James Monroe toured the country in an effort to unite the ever-growing United States, torn between bitter political battles that overshadowed national conflict.To Monr...

4 Apr 201831min

The Age of Jackson | Washington Burns | 1

The Age of Jackson | Washington Burns | 1

In August 1814, the White House burned. A fire that would eventually consume the entire nation in Civil War was already burning. This is Antebellum America.This is the adolescence of the United States...

28 Mar 201835min

Prohibition | Interview with Lillian Cunningham | 7

Prohibition | Interview with Lillian Cunningham | 7

Do you know the record for the longest ratification period of any constitutional amendment? Lillian Cunningham did. She’s an editor with the Washington Post, host of two outstanding American History p...

21 Mar 201832min

Prohibition - We Want Beer | 6

Prohibition - We Want Beer | 6

The people had spoken: They wanted beer, and they wanted it now, but not just for drinking. Protestors wanted the jobs that came with breweries, and the country was desperate from the money that could...

14 Mar 201834min

Prohibition - Down and Out | 5

Prohibition - Down and Out | 5

Closing Time by Daniel Francis provides a good account of the border wars and smuggling across the northern border. Robert Rockaway’s article “The Notorious Purple Gang” details the gang’s origin as w...

7 Mar 201833min

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