The March of Dimes: You Might Be Walking Because of Them

On January 3, 1938, the March of Dimes was founded. You and I may be walking, or even alive because of it. Founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, it was originally called the “National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.” President Roosevelt himself suffered from Infantile Paralysis, more commonly known as polio. He was first diagnosed in 1921 at the age of 39, but few Americans realized the extent of his illness until after his death. Polio first appeared around 1900 with little rhyme or reason. During the great depression, the number of people who suffered from polio continued to grow. Polio cases would rise in the summer as the dreaded disease would be transmitted in swimming pools, lakes, etc. It would mysteriously appear in one area for a summer, and then a completely different area the next. As soon as one child showed any symptoms resembling polio, an entire community would…