In 1967, Dr. James Hiram Bedford, a World War I veteran and psychology professor at the University of California, made scientific history by becoming the first person to be cryonically preserved. Struggling with terminal kidney cancer that had spread to his lungs, Bedford found hope in Dr. Robert Ettinger’s book The Prospect of Immortality, which proposed freezing the human body in the hope of future revival.

At a time when medical science lacked the tools for such experiments, Bedford’s decision was remarkably forward-thinking. On January 12, 1967, after his death, a team performed an experimental procedure to preserve his body using early cryonics techniques. His blood was replaced with dimethyl sulfoxide, a compound intended to reduce ice damage within cells, before his body was placed into liquid nitrogen.

Cooled to -196°C, Bedford became a scientific pioneer — the first individual to enter cryogenic storage with the aim of one day returning to life. His choice represented both a personal act of faith in the future and a symbolic gesture toward human progress.

Though he understood that revival was unlikely in his own era, Bedford saw his preservation as a contribution to science. He hoped it would open doors for future research and possibly lead to breakthroughs in life extension and medical preservation.

In 1991, experts from the Alcor Life Extension Foundation inspected Bedford’s body and discovered it remained in surprisingly good condition after more than two decades. While some discoloration had occurred, much of his physical structure appeared intact, providing rare insight into the long-term effects of cryogenic storage.

More than fifty years later, Dr. Bedford’s frozen body still rests in liquid nitrogen. His pioneering act continues to inspire debate about mortality, ethics, and the human desire to push beyond the boundaries of life and death.