Jonas Salk was Born in New York City, his parents were Russian-Jewish immigrants who wanted a better life for their children and encouraged them to work hard and get an education. Salk was the first member of his family to go to college. He first studied law and later changed it to medical science. While at New York University he was invited to spend a year doing infuenza research. Salk recieved his M.D. from New York University College of Medicine in 1939. He went on to a career in virus research, particularly the deadly polio virus.

Jonas Salk introduced the first successful polio vaccine, which reduced the incidence of polio by 95 percent between 1955 and 1961. Later in life, Jonas Salk contributed his talents to the study of the AIDS virus.