Freezing Day
January 12, 1965 – On this day, psychologist Dr. James Bedford became the first person cryonically preserved after legal death.
Bedford, who died of metastatic kidney cancer, had volunteered through the Life Extension Society to undergo experimental cryonic preservation, offered free of charge in the hope that future medical advances might one day reverse his condition.
Due to the primitive nature of early cryonics, his preservation involved delays and rudimentary techniques. Even so, an examination during a transfer in 1991 found his remains to be in unexpectedly good condition.
Today, Dr. Bedford remains in cryonic storage under the care of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation.
