Paralytic poliomyelitis was a terrifying scourge of American families in
the 1940s and early 1950s. Polio attacked mainly children, having outdoor
fun in summertime. 1952 was polio's peak year, 57.879 cases were reported
and 3.145 people died. In 1953 Salk invented a preventive vaccine for polio
to stop the disease
