The March of Dimes is a United States health charity whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. It was founded in 1938 as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to defeat the epidemic disease poliomyelitis. "March of Dimes" was originally the name of the annual fundraising event held in January by the Foundation. The name "March of Dimes" for the fundraising campaign was coined by entertainer Eddie Cantor as a play on the popular newsreel feature of the day, the March of Time. Along with Cantor, many top Hollywood, Broadway, radio, and television stars served as promoters of this charity. For its first 17 years, the March of Dimes provided major support for the work of many innovative and practical polio researchers and virologists.