Could You Patent The Sun?

On 17 June 1894, the first polio epidemic in the United States broke out in Rutland, Vermont.

It wasn’t until 26 April 1954, when mass trials of Jonas Salk’s anti-polio vaccine began, that the nation, and the world, saw glimmers of hope.

The first shot of the vaccine was delivered in Fairfax County, Virginia. Over the next three months more than 443,000 children received shots.

One year later, 12 April 1955, the vaccine was given full approval – to be safe and effective – by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Jonas Salk vaccine was quickly adopted around the world. Salk was celebrated as a hero and some in Congress called for the day to become a national holiday.

Salk didn’t seek celebrity and did not attempt to make money off the vaccine. When asked who owned the patent to the vaccine, Salk said: “There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?”

How times have changed.