On October 28, 1956, Elvis Presley received a widely publicized polio vaccination before appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show. The event put a familiar face behind a public health message: teenagers, too, needed protection from polio.

Polio was a frightening part of American life in the first half of the 20th century. The virus could spread quickly, and severe cases damaged nerves, causing paralysis or death. In 1952, the United States recorded more than 21,000 paralytic cases, the largest number in the country’s history. There was no cure, so prevention became a priority.

Physician Jonas Salk began developing an inactivated polio vaccine at the University of Pittsburgh in the early 1950s. His vaccine used poliovirus that had been killed with formaldehyde. It was designed to protect against all three known types of the virus. After early testing, the vaccine entered a large field trial in 1954. The March of Dimes helped organize the effort, which involved about 1.8 million children in the United States, Canada, and Finland. On April 12, 1955, officials announced that the vaccine was safe and effective, and it was licensed that day.

Vaccination campaigns first focused heavily on young children. Teenagers were also at risk, but many had not received their shots. Some thought polio was a disease of childhood and that they were unlikely to catch it. Others worried about needles or could not easily get to a vaccination clinic. The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which raised money through the March of Dimes, began looking for ways to reach young people in language and settings they would respond to.

By 1956, Presley had become a major star, with a particularly strong following among teenagers. Health officials and the foundation saw an opportunity to reach that audience. Before his October 28 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Presley agreed to receive the vaccine in front of reporters and cameras at CBS Studio 50 in New York. New York City Health Commissioner Leona Baumgartner held his arm while Assistant Commissioner Harold Fuerst gave the injection. The vaccination took place backstage; photographs and film of the event, rather than the shot itself as part of his performance, carried the message to the public.

The pictures appeared in newspapers, and reporters described Presley as setting an example for young people. He also met March of Dimes poster girl Joanne Wilson. His participation continued beyond that day: he recorded a message for a March of Dimes album released in 1957. The publicity helped draw attention to the campaign, but it was only one part of a larger effort.

Teenagers were not simply the audience for the campaign. The foundation helped organize them as volunteers through groups known as Teens Against Polio. They spoke with classmates, promoted vaccination, and organized “Salk Hops”—dances that admitted teens who could show they had received their shots. These activities made vaccination a visible part of school and social life. They also gave teenagers a direct role in encouraging their peers.

Some accounts say the share of vaccinated teenagers rose from 0.6 percent to more than 80 percent within six months. The vaccine’s impact can also be seen in national case counts. The CDC reports that the United States had 2,525 paralytic polio cases in 1960, down from more than 21,000 in 1952—about an 88 percent decline. That drop followed the introduction and growing use of effective vaccines, alongside years of organized immunization work. Presley’s highly publicized shot became a memorable moment in that broader campaign.

Click here for a neat video about Elvis’s polio awareness campaign.

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On October 27, 1964, Ronald Reagan took a campaign speech for Barry Goldwater to a national television audience. His address introduced many Americans to Reagan as a political speaker and helped bring him wider attention.

Reagan’s path to politics began long before that broadcast. As a student in Dixon, Illinois, he acted in school plays and took part in student government. At Eureka College, he played football, swam, ran track, appeared in college productions, and served in student leadership. He graduated in 1932 with a degree in economics and sociology. Soon after, he began working in radio as a sports announcer. He later moved to California and built a career in Hollywood, acting in films and hosting television programs. His public speaking experience also grew through work with General Electric and appearances before civic groups.

Reagan’s political views changed over time. He had been a Democrat and supported Democratic candidates, including Harry Truman. In the 1950s, he became more conservative and campaigned for Republican candidates Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. He formally changed his party registration in 1962. Reagan often presented his shift as a response to changes in the Democratic Party. By 1964, he was co-chairman of Californians for Barry Goldwater, the Republican nominee for president. He traveled around California speaking on Goldwater’s behalf.

The televised address grew out of that campaign work. Republican organizers in California had heard Reagan speak and asked him to deliver a national television appeal for Goldwater. Reagan agreed, and the address was recorded before an audience. It aired on October 27, one week before Election Day. The Reagan Library lists it as a 29-minute, black-and-white televised campaign address. It is now commonly called “A Time for Choosing,” though it is also known simply as “The Speech.”

Reagan spoke in a measured, serious style. He laid out his own arguments rather than simply repeating Goldwater’s campaign slogans. The speech focused on the role of the federal government, taxation, public spending, poverty programs, and the Cold War. Reagan argued that expanding government programs could limit personal freedom and local decision-making. He warned that programs tend to remain in place after they are created, saying, “No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size.” He also described the election as a choice about whether people could govern themselves or should rely on federal officials to plan their lives.

Reagan drew on examples and stories to make those points. He referred to the costs of federal programs and questioned whether added spending would solve poverty. He also raised concerns about the United States’ response to communism and the risks of what he called appeasement. These themes reflected Goldwater’s campaign, but Reagan’s delivery gave them a personal, conversational quality. Viewers who knew him from movies or television saw a different side: a confident advocate for a particular political outlook.

Reagan later recalled watching the broadcast anxiously and worrying that he had disappointed Goldwater. He also remembered a late-night call from a campaign aide reporting a surge of calls from people pledging money. Accounts of the total raised vary, so it is difficult to state a precise amount as settled fact. The immediate response did show campaign officials that Reagan could attract attention and support beyond California.

Goldwater lost the election to President Lyndon B. Johnson. Reagan, however, emerged from the campaign with a larger political profile. The speech did not create his interest in politics; he had been speaking on political issues for years. But it gave a national audience a concentrated view of his arguments and style. Republican organizers began considering him as a candidate for California governor. In 1966, Reagan won the governorship. His rise from radio announcer and actor to elected office continued over the next decade and eventually led to the presidency.

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On October 26, 1881, the Earp brothers took on the Clanton-McLaury Gang at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. The shootout became one of the most famous events in the Old West.

Tombstone had become one of the richest mining towns in the Southwest after silver was discovered nearby in 1877. Two years later, Wyatt Earp, a former Kansas police officer, and his brothers Morgan and Virgil moved to Tombstone to join in the silver boom and work as lawmen. Wyatt found a job as a bank security guard while Virgil became the town marshal.

In July 1880, Virgil, a US marshal, was tasked with tracking a group of cowboys that had stolen six US Army mules (at that time, in the Tombstone area, the word cowboy referred to outlaws). Virgil requested to bring his brothers along on the hunt, and they found the stolen mules on the McLaury ranch, home to known cowboys. The McLaurys said they’d give the mules back but never did, and threatened the Earps that if they ever followed them again, they’d kill them.

Over the following year, the Earps had frequent run-ins with the McLaurys and the Clantons, who Earp believed stole his horse. Each time, the cowboys threatened to kill the Earps. Adding fuel to the fire, the cowboys were cohorts of the Cochise County Sheriff, Johnny Behan, who was a rival of Wyatt Earp’s – politically and in an affair of the heart.

Then, on October 25, 1881, Ike Clanton and Tom McLaury went to Tombstone for supplies. Over the course of 24 hours, they clashed with the Earps and their friend Doc Holliday. About 1:30 p.m. the next day, Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury, and Billy Claiborne rode into town. They found Holliday at the saloon, who was happy to tell them that their brothers had been pistol-whipped by the Earps.

The brothers left in a rage and claimed they’d get their vengeance. They found their brothers and gathered in an empty lot behind the OK Corral. The Earps and Holliday soon found them there and prepared to face off. The Earps and Holliday slowly advanced to stand within six feet of the cowboys. Moments later the deafening roar of gunfire filled the air. The gunfight lasted just 30 seconds, and only about 30 shots were fired. Many debate exactly how the shootout progressed, but generally believe it began with Virgil Earp shooting Billy Clanton in the chest. Next Doc Holliday shot Tom McLaury, and Wyatt shot Frank McLaury in the stomach. Two of the cowboys managed to fire on the lawmen before falling to the ground.

When the smoke cleared, three of the cowboys lay dead or dying, and the fourth was seriously wounded. Of the lawmen only Wyatt Earp emerged unscathed. Ike Clanton and Claiborne ran away. A local cowboy newspaper proclaimed, “The 26th of October, 1881, will always be marked as one of the crimson days in the annals of Tombstone, a day when blood flowed as water, and human life was held as a shuttle cock, a day to be remembered as witnessing the bloodiest and deadliest street fight that has ever occurred in this place, or probably in the Territory.”

Meanwhile, Sheriff Behan had witnessed the shootout and charged the Earps and Holliday with murder. The case went to trial, but a month later, the judge ruled that the men were not guilty and that they were “fully justified in committing these homicides.”

The shootout became part of the legend of the American West and had been recreated in a number of films and television shows.

Watch a film adaptation of the gunfight from Wyatt Earp.

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Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa was established on October 25, 1949. The monument protects and interprets the history behind about 200 mounds built by Native Americans centuries ago.

Native Americans began settling in the “Driftless Area” of the Midwestern US during the late-woodland period. There were several tribes of mound builders in the United States, each with a unique culture and set of traditions. Some built simple, cone-shaped mounds used only for the burial of their dead. Others built effigies shaped like different animals or spirits. The purpose of the effigy mounds is harder to determine.

Archaeologists have several different theories on the significance of these structures. Some believe the effigies were built mainly for spiritual or religious reasons. This theory acknowledges the mounds’ use as burial sites, but only as a secondary purpose. Other archaeologists are more interested in the reasons behind the different animal shapes of each effigy. Most think the animal was meant to represent the tribe or family of the person, or people, buried in the mound. A few archaeologists wonder if the different animals symbolized a spirit that led the deceased to the next world.

The Effigy Mounds National Monument is home to approximately 200 mounds, 31 of which are effigies. Most effigy mounds within the monument are bird or bear designs. The largest effigy mound is called Great Bear Mound and is nearly 138 feet long and about three feet tall. The idea of preserving these pieces of history is a fairly new one.

Over the years, many mounds that could have been part of the monument were destroyed by farming or excavation. Between 1950 and 1960, archaeologists wanted to study the contents of the mounds, but their techniques weren’t as delicate as the ones of today. These studies led to the disturbance and destruction of many mounds. Regardless of whether a mound is completely or only partially excavated, the process greatly reduces or destroys the structure’s value as a historic object. Archaeologists eventually began to question their actions, and most of the mounds were saved.

The Effigy Mounds National Monument was established on October 25, 1949. The proclamation, signed by President Harry Truman, granted the monument its original plot of land. In the next few decades, there were several expansions of the original property. Eventually, the monument grew to an impressive 2,526 acres.

As an added protective measure, in 1959, the National Park Service (NPS) issued a policy forbidding any more destruction of the mounds. They still allowed archaeologists to study them, but only using methods that did not disturb their overall structure. By 1970, this policy led to the focus of the park shifting to preserving the mounds and exploring the history of their builders.

A decade later, NPS began reaching out to local Native American groups with connections to the original mound builders. The park service hoped to uncover why the mounds were built and what their significance was. The passing of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act helped this cause tremendously. This act required any federal agencies or museums with Native American remains to reach out to their living descendants or related peoples. The conversations inspired by this law helped piece together the history of the mound builders and the significance of their creations.

Click here for more from the NPS website.

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Born on October 24, 1911, Saunders Terrell became Sonny Terry, a blues harmonica player known for making his instrument sound like trains, hounds, and other voices. After childhood accidents left him blind, he built a career that took him from local churches and dance halls to Carnegie Hall and concert stages around the world.

Terry was born near Greensboro, Georgia, to a farming family. His father, Ruben, played harmonica in the evenings and eventually taught his son blues tunes. He also showed him how to imitate train whistles and baying dogs. Terry was injured in two accidents, one when he was 11 and another at 16. The second left him blind. Unable to continue farm work, he began playing harmonica in churches and dance halls. At 19, he joined traveling medicine shows, performing in towns across the South.

Terry became part of the folk music revival of the late 1950s. He toured Europe and performed and recorded with musicians such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. He also appeared on Broadway. He was in the cast of Finian’s Rainbow in 1947 and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in the 1950s. Later, he and McGhee performed in the Steve Martin comedy The Jerk. Terry also appeared in The Color Purple and played harmonica on Ry Cooder’s “Walkin’ Away Blues” for the 1986 film Crossroads.

By the early 1930s, Terry was living in Durham, North Carolina. He played at tobacco warehouses, fish fries, house parties, and on the street. In 1934, he met guitarist and singer Blind Boy Fuller. The two performed together, and Terry accompanied Fuller on recordings beginning in 1937. Terry also made recordings under his own name. In 1938, he performed at Carnegie Hall as part of John Hammond’s From Spirituals to Swing concert. The next day, folklorist Alan Lomax recorded Terry for the Library of Congress, including his versions of “Fox Chase” and “Lost John.”

After Fuller died in 1941, Terry formed a long-running partnership with guitarist and singer Brownie McGhee. They moved to New York and performed together for decades, recording blues, folk songs, and ballads. Their 1958 album Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry Sing was their first for Folkways Records. Terry and McGhee also appeared together on radio, in stage shows, and on television. Their partnership lasted about 40 years, though they split for a time around 1970 and later reunited for performances.

Terry’s sound was immediately recognizable. He played fast, high notes and added whoops, moans, and sharp cries. He cupped his hands around the harmonica to shape its tone and used a cross-note technique to play in keys beyond the instrument’s basic range. In “Fox Chase,” he used his harmonica and voice to suggest a hunt, complete with the sounds of hounds. “Lost John” shows his control of breath and rhythm.

In 1982, Terry received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. He continued recording into the 1980s, including the album Whoopin’, released in 1984. Terry died on March 11, 1986, at age 74. His energetic harmonica style helped carry blues into folk clubs, concert halls, and recordings heard by audiences far beyond the South.

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On October 13, 1953, the US Post Office issued a 3¢ stamp honoring the 25th anniversary of the Future Farmers of America. It was issued at the place the organization was founded – Kansas City, Missouri.

The Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act was passed in 1917 to give federal funds to states for high school classes in certain vocations – agriculture, family and consumer sciences, trades, and industries. Just a few years later, in the early 1920s, Virginia created a Future Farmers of Virginia Club for the boys in those agriculture classes. Over time, other states created their own Future Farmer organizations.

As more of these state groups were formed, they realized the next step would be to create a national organization. Therefore, in 1928, a group of these agriculture students met in Kansas City, MO, for the third annual National Congress of Vocational Agriculture Students. During that convention on November 20, 33 students from 18 states met at the Baltimore Hotel in Kansas City and officially formed the Future Farmers of America.

Also known as the FFA, the organization they founded provided support for agricultural education and leadership training for high school students. After granting charters in 48 states across the US, the National FFA Foundation was established in 1944.

Four years later, the FFA participated in an international exchange program with the Young Farmers Club of Great Britain. Today, the FFA sends more than 350 students to 25 countries annually to share knowledge and promote agricultural careers. In the US and its territories, there are 735,038 (685,226 of whom are alumni) members in 8,817 chapters, making it one of the largest youth organizations in the country.

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On October 12, 1901, the Executive Mansion, the president’s official residence and workplace, was renamed the White House.

In 1792, President George Washington held a public competition to find a design for the president’s home and office in Washington, DC. Thomas Jefferson was among those that submitted designs, but James Hoban created the winning plan.

Hoban’s design incorporated features of several Irish and French country homes. The cornerstone was laid on October 13, 1792. Though Washington oversaw the building’s construction, he retired from the presidency before it was completed. On November 1, 1800, John Adams and his wife became the first presidential couple to live in the building, though it was still unfinished.

At this time, the building was often referred to as the President’s House. Over time, it would also be called the President’s Palace and the Presidential Mansion. Many opposed use of the word palace because it had indicated royalty. The first known use of the term “White House” appeared around 1811.

In fact, there has been a popular myth that the building was first called the White House after the War of 1812. During that war, the British burned much of Washington, DC, including the President’s House. A common tale claimed that after American forces reclaimed the capital and worked on repairing it, they painted the building white to cover the burn marks. While there are records of the building being called the White House before the war, its use did increase after the war.

While some would start to call it the White House, the official name had been the Executive Mansion since 1810. This was the phrase that appeared on letterheads and official documents.

That name would remain in official use for over 90 years. Then on October 12, 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt decided to officially change the name to that one used for decades. He ordered that all White House stationary now read “White House – Washington.” Though the stationary would have a slight change, with Washington being centered under White House, the named has remained in use ever since.

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