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History of Vaccines Timeline
(1796 - Present)The history of vaccines spans more than two centuries of scientific discovery, beginning with Edward Jenner's pioneering smallpox inoculation in 1796 and evolving through landmark developments such as Louis Pasteur's rabies vaccine, the eradication of smallpox in 1980, and the rapid creation of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. This timeline highlights the scientists, breakthroughs, and public health campaigns that have saved millions of lives worldwide. More Less
Early Inoculation Practices
First recorded smallpox inoculation in China
1500
The first recorded use of inoculation to prevent smallpox (variolation) occurred in the 16th century in China. The Chinese also practiced the oldest documented use of variolation, dating back to the fifteenth century, and various insufflation techniques were recorded throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries within China.
Image source: Variolation
Reports on Chinese inoculation reach the Royal Society
1700
Two reports on the Chinese practice of inoculation were received by the Royal Society in London in 1700: one by Martin Lister, who received a report by an employee of the East India Company stationed in China, and another by Clopton Havers.
Image source: Royal Society
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu brings variolation to Britain
1721
The folk practice of inoculation against smallpox was brought from Turkey to Britain in 1721 by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Having witnessed variolation in Turkey, she had her four-year-old daughter variolated in the presence of physicians of the Royal Court upon her return to England.
Image source: Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
Death of Prince Octavius after inoculation
1783
In 1783, several days after Prince Octavius of Great Britain was inoculated against smallpox, he died. His death underscored the dangers of variolation, which used material from actual smallpox sores and could itself cause fatal disease.
Image source: Prince Octavius of Great Britain
Jenner and the Birth of Vaccination
Edward Jenner's cowpox experiment on James Phipps
1796
In 1796, the physician Edward Jenner took pus from the hand of a milkmaid with cowpox, scratched it into the arm of an 8-year-old boy, James Phipps, and six weeks later variolated the boy with smallpox, afterwards observing that he did not catch smallpox.
Image source: Edward Jenner
Jenner publishes his Inquiry into cowpox vaccination
1798
In 1798 Jenner published his Inquiry into the Variolae vaccinae Known as the Cow Pox, in which he described the protective effect of cowpox against smallpox. He reported that his vaccine was safe in children and adults, and could be transferred from arm-to-arm, which reduced reliance on uncertain supplies from infected cows.
Image source: Edward Jenner
Spanish Balmis smallpox vaccination expedition
1804
In 1804, the Spanish Balmis smallpox vaccination expedition to Spain's colonies Mexico and Philippines used the arm-to-arm transport method to get around the fact that the vaccine survived for only 12 days in vitro.
Image source: Balmis Expedition
England bans smallpox inoculation
1840
Since vaccination with cowpox was much safer than smallpox inoculation, the latter, though still widely practiced in England, was banned in 1840.
Modern Vaccine Development
Pasteur develops second-generation vaccines
1880
Following on from Jenner's work, the second generation of vaccines was introduced in the 1880s by Louis Pasteur, who developed vaccines for chicken cholera and anthrax. From the late nineteenth century, vaccines were considered a matter of national prestige.
Image source: Louis Pasteur
Pasteur extends 'vaccine' terminology to honor Jenner
1881
In 1881, to honor Jenner, Louis Pasteur proposed that the terms vaccine and vaccination should be extended to cover the new protective inoculations then being developed.
Image source: Vaccine
Key Facts
- Edward Jenner developed the first successful vaccine in 1796, using cowpox to protect against smallpox, coining the term 'vaccination' from 'vacca,' the Latin word for cow.
- Louis Pasteur expanded vaccine science in the 1880s by creating vaccines for rabies and anthrax using weakened (attenuated) pathogens.
- Smallpox was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980 following a global vaccination campaign led by the World Health Organization—the first disease ever eliminated by human effort.
- The development of polio vaccines by Jonas Salk (1955) and Albert Sabin (1961) dramatically reduced polio cases and paved the way for ongoing global eradication efforts.
- mRNA vaccine technology, used in COVID-19 vaccines starting in 2020, was developed in record time thanks to decades of prior research by scientists like Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman.
Source
This History of Vaccines timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
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