In the 30’s, Polio was a disease feared by parents across the country.  It was an awful disease that attacked people of all ages – including young and innocent children.

On this day, January 3rd, in 1938, the March of Dimes was formed to combat Polio.  The initiative was put into place by Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Sadly, Polio had attacked Roosevelt as he himself was diagnosed with polio in 1921, and it effected his health greatly.  This served as some of the motivation for FDR to get involved with the initiative to fight this dreaded disease.

Once Polio was eliminated, the March of Dimes moved on to help tackle other illnesses such as birth defects and other viral diseases.