A disease that affects the entire body and causes you to lose control of your mobility; it has claimed the lives of countless kids and Americans across the nation. What is that disease you may ask? Polio, the single most terrifying disease of the early 1900s. Although polio was unknown and underdeveloped people still feared it for the worse. Just as America began to change, the polio epidemic followed soon after. There was a war going on in America's backyard and the enemies are Americans versus a disease. According to David O'Shinskey's "Polio: An American Story" polio dates back "to Egypt, around 1500 BC." and then “By the mid-1800s,…Western Europe and the United States.” O'Shinskey then analyzes the first documented evidence of polio in the United States. “The first recorded polio epidemic in the United States occurred in Otter Valley, near Rutland, Vermont, in 1864.” America didn't know we had our own war going on. Many events were happening with America and other countries, but things were changing drastically for the worse. Polio began to inhabit the lives of younger children in rural areas like Otter Valley, Vermont. Through his time and diligence, Dr. Charles Caverly and his extensive research on all victims helped formulate his hypothesis that polio affects and arises primarily from males. Sparking his interest in this mysterious disease, Caverly began studying cases and comparing and contrasting polio victims. By becoming one of the many founding fathers of polio, Caverly opened doors for several scientists. With very few facts and ignorance about polio, several rumors and speculations began to spread and spread across the nation. There began to be ignorance and mean events to shape and... middle of paper... cure HIV/AIDS studies and the research is still going strong and struggling to find a cure. Regarding poverty, the government has begun to create special programs to help secure and reduce the number of homeless people. Now there is housing and a section 8 for people who can't afford to pay their bills and with children who can't care for them. With the help of food stamps, it is ensured that people do not go hungry or go without. Disability for those who cannot work or work barley due to health problems that prevent them from working. The war against polio and poverty has been most successful when it comes to finding a cure for these problems. You can live with HIV/AIDS for longer than before, but no cure has yet been found. These non-traditional wars have shaped America for the better, changed things, and made America's future a little brighter.