Press Room

Febuary 13, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Rodger Pille, piller@cincymuseum.org, (513) 287-7054

2006 Pulitzer Prize Winner to Speak at Museum Center

Dr. David Oshinsky: The Strange History of Polio and the Race for a Vaccine
10th Annual Distinguished Historian Lecture

April 26, 2007

CINCINNATI, OHIO—David Oshinsky, winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for History for Polio: An American Story, will speak at Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal on Thursday, April 26.

Dr. Oshinsky will focus on the frightening rise of polio in 20th century America, its revolutionary impact on both philanthropy and medical research, and the dramatic quest for a vaccine between competitors Albert Sabin and Jonas Salk. The national crusade against polio remains one of the great success stories in the annals of medical history.

Cincinnati played a vital role in the battle against polio. Dr. Albert Sabin came to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 1939. After World War II, Dr. Sabin started work on developing a vaccine for polio. He developed his oral, “live” vaccine, administered initially on a lump of sugar or in a teaspoonful of syrup. It was tested in Russia, Mexico, Japan and other foreign countries. Then the first United States test was held on “Sabin Sunday,” on April 24, 1960.

The Cincinnati History Advisory Board of Cincinnati Museum Center selected Dr. Oshinsky as its 10th Distinguished Historian. The event—sponsored by Johnson Investment Counsel, Inc.—on April 26 will begin with a reception and dinner. Following his lecture, Dr. Oshinsky will sign copies of his book. Tickets for the reception, dinner and lecture are $60. Admission to the lecture only is $15.

Dr. Oshinsky is George Littlefield Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin. A leading historian of modern American politics and society, he is also the author of A Conspiracy So Immense: The World of Joe McCarthy and Worse Than Slavery: Parchman Farm and the Ordeal of Jim Crow Justice, both of which won major prizes and were New York Times Notable Books.

Call (513) 287-7001 for reservations for this event.

Cincinnati Museum Center gratefully acknowledges operating and capital support from the City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County and the State of Ohio.

Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is home to the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater, and the Cincinnati Historical Society Library. It is a nationally recognized educational and research resource and one of the top cultural attractions in the Midwest. Cincinnati Museum Center serves more than 1.47 million visitors annually, reaching out to almost 200,000 young people through hands-on exhibits and programs. Originally built in 1933 as the Union Terminal train station, the building is a national historic landmark and was renovated and reopened as Cincinnati Museum Center in 1990. For information, call (513) 287-7000 or 1-800-733-2077 or visit www.cincymuseum.org.

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