1941 
Franklin D. Roosevelt, himself stricken with polio, showed sincere concern for children he visited at the rehab center he created in Warm Springs, Georgia.

1945 
The March of Dimes is grateful to the U.S. Armed Forces for their nationwide fundraising efforts through coin jar collections.

1949 
The March of Dimes funded Dr. Jones Salk whose research led to a “safe, effective and potent” polio vaccine in 1955 and saved thousands of lives. The March of Dimes also funded Dr. Albert Sabin’s work on an oral vaccine licensed in 1962.

1947 
Mobile field units served as classrooms and clinics, as well as emergency transport of polio patients.  They were equipped with a respirator, hot pack machine, resuscitation equipment and a self-contained power generator to bring medical support where it was needed most.

1950 
As polio epidemics grew more widespread, volunteers went door to door to collect dimes so researchers working in labs could develop a successful vaccine.  The campaign was known as Mothers March.

1953 
With their breakthrough of determining the double-helix structure of DNA, March of Dimes grantee James Watson and Francis Crick paved the way for mapping the human genome.

1954
The March of Dimes organized testing of the Salk polio vaccine with 1.8 million schoolchildren who became known as “Polio Pioneers” and were part of the largest peacetime mobilization of volunteers in our history.

1956
Elvis Presley was one of many stars who supported the March of Dimes by promoting polio vaccination. Louis Armstrong, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra also encouraged their fans to get the polio vaccine after it was licensed in 1955.

1967
As March of Dimes researchers expanded knowledge of birth defects, nurses were armed with education in prenatal care. Today a wide range of nursing modules are offered to help nurses translate the latest research into the care they provide.

1968 
As medical director of March of Dimes, Dr. Virginia Apgar stimulated interest in professional education and research into the causes and prevention of birth defects.  The “Apgar Score” evaluates a newborn’s condition at birth.

1984
The March of Dimes helped create support groups for families with a baby in intensive care to ease their fear and heartache.

1985
The March of Dimes funded the development of surfactant therapy to treat respiratory distress syndrome in premature babies.

1999 
Kelsey Adams and her parents served as the March of Dimes National Ambassador Family, raising awareness about the importance of taking a multivitamin with folic acid before and during pregnancy to help prevent certain birth defects of the brain and spine.

2003
The March of Dimes launched a national Prematurity Campaign to raise awareness of the serious problem of preterm birth and to help reduce the alarming number of babies born too soon in the United States.

2012 
More than 7 million people get involved in the organization’s largest fundraiser each year.  March for Babies raises awareness and $107 million to fund lifesaving research and community programs.

2012 
The community outreach campaign Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait, educates moms on the importance of waiting for labor to begin on its own.

2013 
Celebrating stronger, healthier babies…75 years in the making!