More than 50 years ago, Dr. James Hiram Bedford, a psychology professor and WWII veteran, became the first person to be cryogenically frozen, hoping future science might bring him back to life. Diagnosed with terminal kidney cancer in 1967, Bedford volunteered for this experimental procedure after reading *The Prospect of Immortality* by Dr. Robert Ettinger, a pioneer in cryonics.
On January 12, 1967, after his heart stopped at age 73, Bedford’s blood was drained and replaced with dimethyl sulfoxide, then his body was frozen in liquid nitrogen at –196°C. “I did this in the hope that one day my descendants will benefit from this wonderful scientific solution,” he told cryonics advocate Robert Nelson before dying.
In 1991, 24 years later, the Alcor Life Extension Foundation inspected his body. They found it relatively well-preserved—his skin cracked in places but overall intact, with “his face looking younger than 73” and “chalky white corneas.”
Despite being scheduled for revival in 2017, Bedford remains frozen. As of now, he’s stored with 145 others in hopes that future technology might fulfill their dream of a second life.
