How did polio start?

Poliomyelitis has existed for thousands of years, with depictions of the disease in ancient art. The disease was first recognized as a distinct condition by the English physician Michael Underwood in 1789, and the virus that causes it was first identified in 1909 by the Austrian immunologist Karl Landsteiner.

How did polio get its name?

The name "polio" is short for poliomyelitis, a term derived from the Ancient Greek. "Polios" (πολιός) means "grey", and "myetos" (μυελός)  means "marrow" or spinal cord. The word was coined by German physician Adolf Kussmaul in 1874, referring to the disease's effect on the gray matter in the spinal cord, which can lead to inflammation and paralysis.

Who cured polio?

Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine, which was announced as safe and effective in 1955, leading to widespread vaccination campaigns that drastically reduced polio cases and deaths worldwide. Later, Albert Sabin developed an oral polio vaccine in 1962, which further facilitated distribution and helped with the global eradication of the disease.