Up Next
Back to Show
The Future of America's Past
Polio on Trial
Racing to develop potential vaccines... labs preparing for widespread testing... families desperate for an answer to a public health crisis -- this was the story in 1954, when a new vaccine to prevent polio persuaded parents to join a nationwide trial. Host Ed Ayers learns from a polio survivor, an epidemiologist, and a scholar about the successes and challenges of distributing a new vaccine.
Support Provided By
Season
27:02
Young people staged a strike in 1951 to protest segregated public schools.
27:02
In 1869, a golden spike marked the completion of the first transcontinental railroad.
27:01
Long-simmering tensions between white and black residents in Chicago erupted in violence.
27:02
What did “freedom” mean during the American Revolution?
27:02
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, 110,000 Japanese-American citizens were arrested.
27:02
Texas has long been a place of cross-cultural exchange. How did Texas become Texas?
27:02
In 1911, a factory in New York City burst into flames and 146 workers perished.
27:02
At Virginia’s Fort Monroe, we discover the spot where where slavery began.