1944 NFIP sends emergency aid to Hickory, North Carolina to halt a severe polio epidemic, building an emergency polio hospital in two days. This successful intervention is publicized as “The Miracle of Hickory.” 

1945 Polio Emergency Volunteer (PEV) program is organized to assist with polio relief in hospitals and homes. 

1948 First International Polio Conference, organized by NFIP, is held in New York City, attended by representatives of 43 nations. Subsequent International Polio Conferences were held in 1951, 1954, 1957, and 1960. 

1949 NFIP grantees John Enders, Thomas Weller, and Frederick Robbins publish report on their discovery of a method to grow poliovirus in cultures of non-nervous tissue, winning the Nobel Prize for their work in 1954. 

1949-1951 Scientists of four laboratories, including the Virus Research Laboratory of Dr. Jonas Salk, complete 2.5 year project to determine how many types of poliovirus exist.