Vaccines came about some 200 years ago when Jenner discovered that if someone caught a mild case of cowpox they would not get smallpox.
In 1879, another scientist, Louis Pasteur, accidentally discovered the vaccine for fowl cholera by leaving cultures out in his laboratory. Later, Pasteur went on to develop an effective vaccine for rabies.
The typhoid and cholera vaccines were produced by Wilhelm Kolle in 1896.
The groundwork for tetanus and diptheria toxid vaccines was laid by Emil von Behring and Emile Roux in the early 20th century.
In 1955, the polio vaccine, developed by Jonas Salk, was licensed.
The Contagious and Non-Contagious Infectious Diseases Sourcebook estimates that a vaccine for chickenpox developed by Merrick Sharp Dohme will soon be available.