Podcast Summary: American History Tellers – "Conquering Polio | The March of Dimes | 1"
Release Date: January 7, 2026
Host: Lindsay Graham

Episode Overview

In the first installment of a three-part series, "Conquering Polio," American History Tellers explores America's fight against polio from the early 20th century through the creation and rise of the March of Dimes. The episode traces the origins, devastation, and response to the disease—highlighting the transformative role of community action, media, science, and figures like Franklin D. Roosevelt and Basil O’Connor—while setting the stage for the race to develop a vaccine.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Fear and Devastation of Polio in America (00:00–10:00)

• The narrative opens with a vivid dramatization of a mother in 1942 Texas, whose home is quarantined after her son contracts polio, illustrating the terrifying reality of the disease and the drastic public health measures of the time.
• Summer outbreaks brought widespread fear:
  • Quarantines, closure of pools/theaters, children indoors
  • Daily newspaper victim tallies (06:30)
  • Sights of children in braces and wheelchairs as constant reminders

The 1916 New York City Epidemic (10:00–17:00)

• Tells of the first large-scale U.S. polio epidemic in Brooklyn’s Italian immigrant neighborhood:
  • 27,000 reported cases and over 6,000 deaths by autumn 1916
  • Government and community responses: quarantines, travel bans, and blaming immigrants, though studies later showed infection rates were lower in immigrant communities than in wealthier areas

Polio: The Medical Landscape and Mysteries (17:00–23:00)

• Science grapples with polio’s unpredictability:
  • Polio mostly struck children, was highly contagious, and could kill or paralyze without warning
  • Ironically worsened as sanitation improved, because delayed exposure led to lack of early immunity

Franklin D. Roosevelt's Battle with Polio (23:00–35:00)

• Personalizes the narrative with FDR’s illness in 1921:
  • Multiple misdiagnoses before a spinal tap confirmed polio
  • "I don't know what's the matter... I just don't know." – FDR to his family, conveying his fear and confusion (29:00)
  • FDR’s struggle to maintain his public image despite lasting paralysis; his search for cures and discovery of hydrotherapy at Warm Springs, Georgia
• Warm Springs Foundation established in 1926 by FDR, transforming the site into a rehab haven for polio survivors

Rise of Basil O’Connor & the Philanthropic Crusade (35:00–47:00)

• O’Connor, FDR's business partner, takes over Warm Springs management:
  • His skepticism: "I thought he was crazy to want that big goddamn four-story fire trap with squirrels running in and out..." – O’Connor on FDR’s Warm Springs purchase (39:50)
  • Depression-era charity fundraising challenges and O’Connor's relentless commitment:
    • “I was never a public do-gooder and had no aspirations of that kind…” – O’Connor reflecting on his unexpected role (41:10)

The Power of Public Relations: The Birthday Balls (47:00–57:00)

• O’Connor recruits PR legend Carl Byer to revitalize fundraising:
  • Invention of the "Birthday Ball" in honor of FDR’s birthday, pressuring cities to join
    • "If I were in your position, Mr. Mayor, I'd know I'd want to be seen as a protector of crippled children. Wouldn't you?" – Carl Beyer to Albany’s mayor (51:40)
  • The 1934 balls raise over $1 million—an astonishing outcome during the Depression

Birth of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis and the March of Dimes (57:00–01:10:00)

• FDR and O’Connor launch the NFIP in 1937 to shift polio efforts from the president's personal cause to a national, nonpartisan crusade
• The March of Dimes, inspired by entertainer Eddie Cantor, crowdsources millions in small donations:
  • Cantor’s call: "The March of Dimes will enable all persons, even the children, to show our president we are with him in this battle." (01:07:35)
  • $1.8 million in dimes floods the White House, essentially revolutionizing fundraising

Polio Patient Care and the Hickory Miracle (01:10:00–01:22:00)

• NFIP’s model dedicates two-thirds of funds to direct patient care, providing aid to 80% of U.S. polio patients
• 1944 Hickory, NC outbreak and rapid creation of a makeshift hospital:
  • "We opened the door of ambulance after ambulance... [One mother] whispered. 'He's been sleeping since we left Charlotte.' The child was dead." – Anonymous doctor, on the tragedy and urgency (01:19:15)
  • The "miracle of Hickory" boosts the NFIP’s public image and fundraising

Roosevelt’s Death and Evolving Strategies (01:22:00–01:29:00)

• FDR’s 1945 death is a blow to the polio movement; O’Connor carries on, reshaping efforts to keep momentum alive
• Women's volunteer organizations and poignant imagery (such as NFIP poster children) fuel emotional, grassroots support

The Unrelenting Push Toward a Vaccine (01:29:00–End)

• O’Connor’s drive intensifies: “He was determined to find a scientist as relentless as he was, someone who was willing to rise to the challenge and finally find a way to defeat polio once and for all.”
• The stage is set for Episode 2: Jonas Salk begins identifying polio virus types as the hunt for a vaccine accelerates

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On parental despair:
  "Please. My son's only five. He needs his mother." – Texas mother pleading with public health officer (02:25)

• On the unpredictability of polio:
  "Polio was on the rise. This paradox confounded scientists and health officials." (16:50)

• On O’Connor's perspective:
  "I was never a public do-gooder and had no aspirations of that kind." – Basil O’Connor (41:10)

• On PR campaigns:
  "We dance so that others may walk." – Slogan of the Birthday Balls (53:30)

• On fundraising ingenuity:
  "Millions of dimes flooded the White House, raising $1.8 million and nearly shutting down government mail operations." (01:08:00)

• On polio's emotional toll:
  "Outsiders shunned our people as they would lepers." – Hickory resident on the stigma during the outbreak (01:17:40)

• On the press’s impact:
  "The health of our boys and girls is one of the front lines of our national defense." – FDR during WWII (01:14:40)

Major Timestamps

• 00:00–06:30: Dramatized mother’s experience, introduction of polio’s terror
• 10:00–17:00: 1916 NYC epidemic overview
• 23:00–35:00: FDR’s diagnosis, Warm Springs, and struggle
• 39:50–41:10: O’Connor’s initial resistance and eventual embrace of the cause
• 47:00–57:00: Carl Beyer and the birth of the Birthday Balls
• 01:07:35: Eddie Cantor launches the March of Dimes
• 01:10:00–01:22:00: The Hickory epidemic and emergency hospital
• 01:22:00–01:29:00: Post-FDR strategies and rise of women’s volunteerism
• 01:29:00–End: Momentum builds for a vaccine; Salk introduced

Tone and Narrative Style

• Immersive, dramatic storytelling mixed with authoritative historical narration
• Empathetic, direct quotes from real people and character reenactments
• Focused on the human impact and emotional stakes of the fight against polio

In Conclusion:
This episode lays a compelling, richly detailed foundation for the story of America’s battle against polio. It powerfully contextualizes the disease’s grip on families and society, the innovative strategies that architects of philanthropy employed, and the tireless search for a cure—ending with O’Connor seeking the scientist who would finally unlock the polio vaccine.