In 1796, an English surgeon noticed that milkmaids rarely got smallpox, and the vaccination changed the world

Edward Jenner pioneered the smallpox vaccine in the late 1700s. He noticed milkmaids, who contracted cowpox, were immune to smallpox. Jenner used this observation to inoculate a boy, proving cowpox offered protection. This groundbreaking experiment, rooted in rural wisdom and scientific observation, laid the foundation for smallpox eradication worldwide.