Virginia Apgar: The American Anesthesiologist Whose Medical Test Saved Millions of Newborns

She was born in Westfield, New Jersey, on June 7, 1909. In 1952, she created a test called the "Apgar score" that medical professionals could use to asses the health of newborn infants, lowering the infant mortality rate by considerably increasing the likelihood of babies' survival in the first 24 hours after birth.