In the early 1920's, Roosevelt contracted polio, which resulted in his total and permanent paralysis from the waist down. At the time, Roosevelt was able to convince many people that he was getting better, which he believed was essential if he was to run for public office again. Fitting his hips and legs with iron braces, he laboriously taught himself to walk a short distance by swiveling his torso while supporting himself with a cane. In private, he used a wheelchair, but he was careful never to be seen in it in public. Behind him, the inscription on the wall says...