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sheshe2

(98,184 posts) Sat May 2, 2026, 01:39 AM Saturday

On this day 70 years ago-May 1, 1956-the polio vaccine was first made

On this day 70 years ago-May 1, 1956-the polio vaccine was first made widely available to the public. The vaccine’s developer, Dr. Jonas Salk, did not patent the vaccine so that it would remain available to as many people as possible in the US and internationally.

Image: Harvey Georges/AP.

On this day 70 years ago-May 1, 1956-the polio vaccine was first made widely available to the public. The vaccineâ€™s developer, Dr. Jonas Salk, did not patent the vaccine so that it would remain available to as many people as possible in the US and internationally.

Image: Harvey Georges/AP.
— Dr. Todd Arrington (@btarrington.bsky.social) 2026-05-01T22:50:06.542Z

— Snake Man Mark (@snakemanmark.bsky.social) 2026-05-01T23:27:24.807Z

Dr Salk saved a lot of lives.

9 replies

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On this day 70 years ago-May 1, 1956-the polio vaccine was first made (Original Post) sheshe2 Saturday OP

I remember it well. Permanut Saturday #1

Dr. Brown gave us our shots. sheshe2 Saturday #2

And then we have RFK, Jr. pat_k Saturday #3

My grandmother had a deep and noticeable scar on her upper arm, I'm guessing that my mother had one too Rhiannon12866 Saturday #4

K & R jfz9580m Saturday #5

A brief story about an anti vaxxer Picaro Saturday #6

Ty Dr. Salk! SheltieLover Saturday #7

This was a question on Jeopardy this week malaise Saturday #8

The Salk Vaccine was a big deal in 1963. no_hypocrisy Saturday #9

Permanut

(8,516 posts)

1. I remember it well.

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Sat May 2, 2026, 01:58 AM

Saturday

sheshe2

(98,184 posts)

2. Dr. Brown gave us our shots.

Reply to Permanut (Reply #1)

Sat May 2, 2026, 02:02 AM

Saturday

I was four.

pat_k

(13,752 posts)

3. And then we have RFK, Jr.

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Sat May 2, 2026, 03:05 AM

Saturday

As per AI (Gemini). Apply whatever grains of salt you apply to all AI:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) has officially stated that he supports the polio vaccine and has no intention of taking it away from the public. However, his actions and the actions of his close advisors have led to significant public health concerns:

Legal Challenges to Vaccine Approval: A prominent lawyer and advisor to RFK Jr., Aaron Siri, filed a petition with the FDA in late 2024 to revoke approval for IPOL, a standalone polio vaccine used in the U.S., claiming it lacked sufficient placebo-controlled testing.

Advisory Panel Scrutiny: Kirk Milhoan, whom RFK Jr. appointed to lead a panel of independent vaccine advisors, has publicly questioned the current necessity of the polio vaccine, suggesting that modern sanitation might mitigate the risk enough to re-evaluate its use.

Cutting Global Funding: As Health Secretary in 2025, RFK Jr. announced a cut of over $1 billion in U.S. funding for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, an organization that provides polio and measles vaccines to low-income countries.

Rhiannon12866

(257,783 posts)

4. My grandmother had a deep and noticeable scar on her upper arm, I'm guessing that my mother had one too

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Sat May 2, 2026, 04:22 AM

Saturday

But by the time I came along they were advising little girls to get it on the upper leg, less noticeable. So that's what my mother chose for me. I remember her telling me about it when I was a little older.

jfz9580m

(17,663 posts)

5. K & R

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Sat May 2, 2026, 04:39 AM

Saturday

Cute cartoon

Picaro

(2,414 posts)

6. A brief story about an anti vaxxer

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Sat May 2, 2026, 05:30 AM

Saturday

I’m the member of a large golfing group. Each Sunday we field at least 5 foursomes but usually 6 or 7. So, we have a large group.

This is Texas, so there are some reflexive right wingers. I’ve made it a hard rule that politics are absolutely forbidden. I’m the resident liberal and I’ve expressed the rule and then walked off whenever anyone tried to bring up politics.

But one guy is an anti-vaxxer. Once he gets going he’s difficult to stop. I’ve driven off a number of times while he’s in mid-sentence (he usually walks).

But still he starts up sometimes.

When the polio vaccine came up he blindsided me. I knew he was adamant that the mRNA based Covid vaccines would ultimately kill me and him if he took it. But the polio vaccine? That was based on traditional vaccine technology and there’s no risk of mRNA rewriting an individual’s genetic code.

Everyone is for the polio vaccine…right? This was one of the great successes of vaccines.

Apparently not. He started going off and brought out this whopper—Polio wasn’t the problem, but DDT poisoning.

Think my jaw dropped. DDT poisoning? Are you kidding me? Of course, he was dead serious.

I drove off while he was in mid-sentence.

These people are nuts.

SheltieLover

(81,472 posts)

7. Ty Dr. Salk!

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Sat May 2, 2026, 06:15 AM

Saturday

malaise

(297,471 posts)

8. This was a question on Jeopardy this week

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Sat May 2, 2026, 06:36 AM

Saturday

and I got it right 😀

no_hypocrisy

(55,205 posts)

9. The Salk Vaccine was a big deal in 1963.

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Sat May 2, 2026, 06:51 AM

Saturday

Our Kindergarten teacher talked and talked about it.

My family took me to the high school gym, which seemed enormous to me, to get my sugar cube (with the vaccine).

We were lined up and progressed to a table full of sugar cubes. Our school nurse was dressed in her white uniform and cap. Very medical. She dispensed the vaccine. I didn't care for the taste of sugar cubes, but I dutifully took it.

Last year, I requested a blood test to see if the polio vaccine was still effective (polio titer) and it was.

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