23 February in history.

1954

Children line up for the polio vaccine. In Pittsburgh, children received Jonas Salk's new polio vaccine in the first mass vaccination against the disease. Polio has since nearly vanished from the world.

Wikipedia: Polio vaccine

Photo: SAS Scandinavian Airlines / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

More from 23 February

1. 

   1455

   The Gutenberg Bible

   This is traditionally given as the date Johannes Gutenberg's Bible was published, the first major book in the West printed with movable type.

   Wikipedia: Gutenberg BibleWikipedia: Johannes Gutenberg

   Photo: NYC Wanderer (Kevin Eng) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

2. 

   1886

   Cheap aluminium

   Charles Martin Hall, just 22, found a cheap way to make aluminium using electricity, in a shed behind his family home. A rare metal became an everyday one.

   Wikipedia: Charles Martin HallWikipedia: Aluminium

   Photo: Unknown (Mondadori Publishers) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

3. 

   1905

   The first Rotary Club

   Chicago lawyer Paul Harris and three businessmen met for lunch and formed a club to make friends and do good. Rotary now has clubs around the world.

   Wikipedia: Rotary InternationalWikipedia: Paul Harris (Rotary)

   Photo: Punzunltd at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)

4. 

   1987

   A star explodes next door

   Astronomers saw supernova 1987A in a galaxy close to our own. It was the closest such explosion in centuries and the most closely studied ever.

   Wikipedia: SN 1987A

   Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Moments chosen for discovery, creativity and courage. Each one links to a source where you can read more; photos are credited to their owners.