Eisenhower on the Salk Polio Vaccine
Two years after American medical researcher Jonas Salk reported that he had successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis, polio vaccinations were still not widely available in the United States. To assuage the public's concerns, President Eisenhower holds a press conference on May 4, 1955, and explains the need for further testing.
Related Speeches & Audio (10)
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Eisenhower on the Salk Polio Vaccine
Eisenhower on the Salk Polio VaccineAudio Clip (2:44)
Audio Clip (2:44)
Two years after American medical researcher Jonas Salk reported that he had successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis, polio vaccinations were still not widely available in the United States. To assuage the public's concerns, President Eisenhower holds a press conference on May 4, 1955, and explains the need for further testing.
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First Speech Broadcast by Satellite
First Speech Broadcast by SatelliteAudio Clip (1:43)
Audio Clip (1:43)
On August 12, 1960, NASA launched the world's first satellite into orbit. A message previously recorded by President Eisenhower was bounced off the Echo 1 and picked up by radio operators across the nation.
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Salk's Polio Vaccine Becomes Obsolete
Salk's Polio Vaccine Becomes ObsoleteAudio Clip (2:35)
Audio Clip (2:35)
In a report from the Voice of America at the 1959 International Scientific Congress at Georgetown University, Dr. Albert Sabin discusses the live poliovirus vaccine he developed and compares it to the inactivated, or “killed,” vaccine first developed by Dr. Jonas Salk seven years earlier.
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First Artificial Heart Recipient
First Artificial Heart RecipientAudio Clip (0:29)
Audio Clip (0:29)
In 1982, Seattle dentist Barney Clark became the first human to receive a permanent artificial heart, a device known as the Jarvik 7. In an interview shortly after the implantation of the pump, Clark expresses his desire to help advance science. He survived for 112 days on the mechanical organ.
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Study Shows Hope for Combating Viruses
Study Shows Hope for Combating VirusesAudio Clip (5:49)
Audio Clip (5:49)
A 1965 weekly Voice of America science report discusses a new study on interferon, a natural substance produced in the body that defends cells against viruses. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health are experimenting with ways to trigger the production of interferon in order to treat and prevent disease.
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First Successful Heart Transplant
First Successful Heart TransplantAudio Clip (3:00)
Audio Clip (3:00)
Dr. Christiaan Barnard describes his approach to performing the first successful heart transplant. On December 3, 1967, 53-year-old Lewis Washkansky received the first transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital in South Africa.
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Dionne Quintuplets Born in Canada
Dionne Quintuplets Born in CanadaAudio Clip (1:46)
Audio Clip (1:46)
Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe, the obstetrician who delivered the world's first surviving quintuplets, discusses their outlook. The five sisters were born on May 28, 1934, in remote northern Ontario.
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30 Years of AIDS Research
30 Years of AIDS ResearchAudio Clip (0:32)
Audio Clip (0:32)
A June 17, 2011, broadcast from the National Institutes of Health describes the many obstacles doctors still face in treating AIDS 30 years after the first reported case.
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Eisenhower on the Suez Canal Crisis
Eisenhower on the Suez Canal CrisisAudio Clip (4:03)
Audio Clip (4:03)
In October 1956, Britain and France entered into a coalition with Israel, and the three nations launched a military attack against Egyptian forces in the Suez Canal. On October 31, in a speech to the nation, President Eisenhower expresses the United States' opposition to the military action.
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Eisenhower on Atomic Energy
Eisenhower on Atomic EnergyAudio Clip (1:59)
Audio Clip (1:59)
On December 8, 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower addresses the General Assembly of the United Nations on the peaceful use of atomic energy.
Related Videos (5)
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Ask Steve: The Pill
Ask Steve: The PillVideo Clip (1:14)
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In this video clip from Ask Steve, the birth control pill and the effect it had on the population was discussed. It sparked a sexual revolution, with a decline in the baby boom and recreational sex.
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Gene Therapy
Gene TherapyVideo Clip (3:03)
Video Clip (3:03)
See how scientists are experimenting with the insertion of genes into individual cells and tissues to treat disease.
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Eisenhower Defeats Stevenson
Eisenhower Defeats StevensonVideo Clip (1:51)
Video Clip (1:51)
Eisenhower defeats Adlai Stevenson to become the 33rd President.
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Republicans Nominate Eisenhower
Republicans Nominate EisenhowerVideo Clip (2:18)
Video Clip (2:18)
Watch as General Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the Republican nominee for President, in this History Channel video. He adds Richard Nixon as his running mate in this presidential race. Nixon was the youngest VP candidate in history.
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Timothy Leary Advocates LSD
Timothy Leary Advocates LSDVideo Clip (5:14)
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This History Rocks video covers Timothy Leary's LSD research. It became known as the Harvard Psilocybin Project and explored the effects, good and bad, of psychedelics. It became a driving force in the 60s counterculture.
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