What do the Egyptian Pyramid of Khafre, the Buenos Aires Obelisk and Chicago's Wrigley Building have in common?

Each of these iconic landmarks provided a dramatic backdrop for an equally dramatic message: End Polio Now. Those three words, representing Rotary's pledge to rid the world of this crippling childhood disease, were projected onto each structure this week in celebration of the humanitarian service organization's 105th anniversary on 23 February.

"By lighting these historic landmarks with Rotary's pledge to end polio, Rotary is saying to the world that we will fight this disease to the end," says Glenn E. Estess Sr., a senior leader with Rotary International. "People around the world will see these words and join Rotary and its partners in the historic effort to eradicate polio from the face of the earth."

The illumination of the pyramid is particularly symbolic because Egypt's long history spans humanity's struggle with the disease. Ancient Egyptian artwork features the earliest known depictions of people disabled by polio, and in 2006, Egypt and Niger became the most recent nations to be declared polio-free, leaving only four polio-endemic countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan.