How Polio Changed FDR: A 60-Second Biography

[00:00:00]Franklin Roosevelt's life story explained in one minute. Born in 1882 into one of America's wealthiest families, Franklin Roosevelt had every advantage money could buy. Harvard education, a famous last name, and a life of privilege. Nobody expected him to understand struggle. [music] Then in 1921 at age 39, polio struck and paralyzed him from the waist down. Most men would have quit. Roosevelt [music] spent years fighting back, hiding his wheelchair from the public, and refusing to [music] be seen as weak. That suffering changed him. He finally understood what ordinary people felt.

[00:00:34]When the Great Depression wiped out millions of Americans in the 1930s, Roosevelt became president and launched the New Deal, creating jobs, reforming banks, and restoring hope. He told a broken nation that the only thing to fear was fear itself.

[00:00:49]>> [music] >> Then came World War II. While secretly battling heart failure, he led the alliance that defeated fascism across [music] two continents. He was elected four times, more than any president in history. Roosevelt proved that real [music] strength is not about what you have. It is about what you survive.