If Elvis can do it, anyone can. This is what doctors figured in 1956 when they approached him to be photographed receiving the polio vaccine. The King of Rock and Roll agreed to being jabbed by a needle, and received his vaccine at CBS Studios in New York before appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show. The next day photos of the medical procedure ran in newspapers nationwide as a way of encouraging teenagers to receive the vaccination, as they along with children were most vulnerable to contracting polio. Earlier this month, Cambridge University released a video commemorating Elvis’ polio vaccine as part of World Immunization Week, which includes cameos by late actors Clark Gable and Mickey Rooney. The university hopes that seeing the video will help people who consider themselves “anti-vaxxers,” a contested topic in recent years, to change their stance.

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