Trusted Writing on History, Travel, and American Culture Since 1949
Polio Vaccine
More than a million children participated in the Salk poliomyelitis vaccine trials of 1954, the largest public health experiment in American History
On April 26, 1954, six-year-old Randy Kerr stood first in line at his elementary school gymnasium in McLean, Virginia, sporting a crew cut and a smile. Read more >>
Polio’s legacy to those who survived it includes uncommon stamina and courage—and one grim new joke
Some years ago I traveled to Boston to meet for the first time the filmmaker Henry Hampton, who had just completed the magisterial “Eyes on the Prize” series for PBS. Read more >>