On February 23, 1954, the inoculation of children with Jonas Salk's polio vaccine began in Pittsburgh. Nationwide testing began two months later. It was the first successful vaccine for the dreaded disease.

 

Before the vaccine, there were about 15,000 cases of paralysis and 1,900 deaths annually from polio in the U.S.

 

Salk chose to not patent the vaccine in order to maximize its distribution.

 

When asked who owns this patent, Salk replied, "Well, the people I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?"

 

Had it been patented, it’s estimated the patent would have been worth billions.