Dr. James Hiram Bedford, a professor and World War I veteran, is best known as the first person to undergo cryonic preservation. Diagnosed with terminal kidney cancer in 1967, Bedford, familiar with the concept from Dr. Robert Ettinger’s book The Prospect of Immortality, requested his body be frozen after death.
On January 12, 1967, after being injected with a preservative and having his blood drained, Bedford’s body was placed in liquid nitrogen at -196°C.Twenty-four years later, his body was examined and found well-preserved, with some signs of discoloration and ice damage. Despite hopes for future revival, Bedford remains in cryonic suspension, with his last words emphasizing the desire for future scientific benefits, not immediate revival. Over 50 years later, his body still awaits potential future breakthroughs in cryonics.