Freezing people is not a new concept to the scientific world. This event, whose origin goes back almost 250 years, is one of the most exciting developments since then.
The first source of the idea of human freezing is a letter written by Benjamin Fraklin. Nearly 200 years after this letter, which was written in 1773 and partially mentions this event, the subject of human freezing is once again on the agenda of the scientific world, this time not to be seen again. A physicist named Robert Ettinger brought the subject back to the agenda.
After this re-emergence, studies on the subject are increasing rapidly and at the end of 5 years, the first human freezing action is carried out; Thus, James Bedford becomes the first person to be frozen.
1. In a 1965 statement by an institution called the Life Extension Society, it was stated that they would freeze the first person who would agree to be frozen, without any charge.
2. James Bedford also sees the ad and applies, thus taking the first step towards going down in history as the first person to be frozen.
3. Bedford, who had kidney cancer at the time, struggled with the disease for 2 more years, but died at the age of 74 due to the disease that had spread to his lungs.
4. Bedford freezes a few hours after he dies.
5. Doctors involved in the freezing process are Robert Prehoda, Dr. Dante Brunol and Robert Nelson.
There is even a book called “We Froze The First Man” written by Robert Nelson about this operation.
6. Dimethyl sulfoxide is used to freeze Bedford's body.
It was much later that it was realized that this compound was not that effective at freezing, which greatly reduced Bedford's chances of being reawakened.
7. His body is preserved in liquid nitrogen until 1982, after which it is transferred to the center where it still resides today.
8. The name of the center is Alcor Life Extension Foundation, which is the largest human freezing center in the world today.
9. Measurements of Bedford's body in 1991 show that his body temperature has not risen above 0 degrees Celsius since the day he was frozen.
10. While Bedford was the first human to have been successfully frozen, there have also been unsuccessful attempts at human freezing.
For example, an unnamed woman is frozen 1 year before Bedford's procedure, but since the freezing process was done long after her death, it is thought to be useless and the process is terminated. Since this operation failed, the title of the first person to be frozen remains with Bedford.
If you are interested in Bedford's story and would like to learn more about the condition of his body, you can access the website of the institution where the body is still preserved today by clicking here.