1955: The Cutter Incident

One Year by Slate Podcasts

Sep 28, 202332:32Society & Culture

Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine transformed America and the world in ways that seemed unimaginable. But in 1955, there was a moment when everything was in doubt. This week, Josh Levin talks with Dr. Paul Offit about the medic...

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from One Year.

Replay Booth Wilbur Huckle for President

Nov 3, 2025 - 46:18

From One Year host Josh Levin, a new series about history, sports, and the surprising threads connecting...

1990: The Angry Death of Kimberly Bergalis

Dec 21, 2023 - 52:07

Before 1990, there had never been a documented case of a patient getting HIV from a health care worker. K...

1990: Art on Trial

Dec 14, 2023 - 54:17

Robert Mapplethorpe was one of the most famous photographers in the world—and one of the most controversi...

1990: Bush vs. Broccoli

Dec 7, 2023 - 36:48

In March 1990, a story broke that shocked the nation: George H.W. Bush had banned broccoli from Air Force...

1990: Mandrake the Magician

Nov 30, 2023 - 46:49

A middle-aged single dad in Chicago was outraged by all the cigarette billboards popping up in Black comm...

1990: Pizzastroika

Nov 22, 2023 - 53:11

Pizza Hut’s adventure in the Soviet Union was unlike any restaurant opening before or since. It involved...

1990 Trailer

Nov 15, 2023 - 1:55

Coming Wednesday Nov. 22, the sixth season of One Year covers 1990. It was a year when a controversial ar...

1955: The Hiroshima Maidens

Oct 6, 2023 - 50:59

Ten years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, 25 women who’d been disfigured by the blast came to the...