1978 Global Eradication of Smallpox

In 1959, the World Health Organization called for global eradication of smallpox.  By then, the disease had already been eliminated from Europe and North America.  It had also been brought under control in a number of South American, African, and Asian countries.  By 1980, through the efforts of W.H.O., smallpox had been totally eradicated in every country.