West Bronx in Bronx County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Jonas Salk
October 28, 1914 - June 23, 1995
— 853 Elsmere Place, The Bronx —
A graduate of Townsend Harris H.S. and City College (1934), Jonas Salk lived here with his parents and two younger brothers until the age of nineteen. He received an M.D. degree from New York University (1939), followed by a residency at Mount Sinai Hospital. Salk began his research career at the University of Michigan (1942), working on the first influenza vaccine. In 1955, he developed the first polio vaccine with his research team at the University of Pittsburgh, at a time when polio epidemics crippled tens of thousands in the U.S. annually. After the vaccine's success, he founded the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, where scientists research the causes, prevention and cure of disease. He was awarded a Presidential Citation from President Eisenhower (1955), a Congressional Gold Medal (1955), the Albert Lasker Award (1956), the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding (1975) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Carter (1977).
Erected by Historic Landmark Preservation Center; medallion program created by Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1955.
Location. 40° 50.564′
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Happy Land Social Club Fire Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Tommies: Tiny but Tough (approx. half a mile away); Look for the Skeleton (approx. half a mile away); Nyala: An African Antelope (approx. 0.6 miles away); One Cat Linking Two Countries (approx. 0.7 miles away); Species Survival Plan / A Snow Leopard Family Tree (approx. 0.7 miles away); Research in Nepal (approx. 0.7 miles away); Dholes are Endangered (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bronx.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 6, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 58 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 6, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
