Before 1955, polio closed swimming pools, filled hospital wards with iron lungs, and terrified American parents every summer. Newt tells the story of Dr. Jonas Salk, who defied scientific consensus with a killed-virus vaccine, tested it on 1.8 million children in the largest clinical trial in American history, and then refused to patent it. "Could you patent the sun?" he asked. Cases plummeted from 58,000 to near zero within years. It's a story about a scientist who chose humanity over royalties—and a reminder of what American science can achieve when purpose outweighs profit.

Episode 1029: Greatest American Inventions — The Smartphone
09:24

Episode 1028: Greatest American Inventions — The Internet Search Engine
06:26

Episode 1027: Greatest American Inventions — The MRI Scanner
06:51