Dr. James Hiram Bedford was a man of many accomplishments—a professor at the University of California, a World War I veteran, and a well-traveled individual who led a fulfilling life. However, he is perhaps most famously remembered as the first person to undergo cryonic preservation, a process in which a human body (or brain) is preserved at extremely low temperatures after death.

In 1967, Bedford, a wealthy man, was diagnosed with kidney cancer that had spread to his lungs. At that time, medical advancements were not as developed as they are today.

Having already encountered the concept of cryonics, Bedford was aware of the idea of preserving a body after death. He had read about the process in The Prospect of Immortality, a book by Dr. Robert Ettinger, the founder of the Cryonics Institute and the pioneer of body freezing experiments. Ettinger's institute offers services to freeze bodies after death with the hope of reviving them in the future when medical science advances enough to cure the condition that led to death. Inspired by this concept, Bedford requested that his body be preserved after his passing.

On the afternoon of January 12, 1967, Bedford’s body underwent the cryonic process. First, he was injected with dimethyl sulfoxide to protect his organs, and his blood was fully drained. Then, he was placed into a tank filled with liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196°C.

Twenty-four years later, the Alcor organization, which performs cryonic preservation, opened Bedford's body to examine its condition. They found that the preservation was quite successful. His face appeared younger than his 73 years, with his nose and mouth emitting the scent of blood. While some areas of his chest and neck had discoloration and his corneas had turned a chalky white due to the freezing, overall, his body had been well-preserved. Technicians then re-wrapped Bedford in a new sleeping bag and immersed him once again in liquid nitrogen, leaving him to await the future.

Now, more than 50 years after the time that was hoped to be the moment of revival, Bedford remains preserved—still a “mummy.”

Robert Nelson, one of the three scientists who performed the cryonic procedure, recalled Bedford’s final words: “I want you to understand that I did not do this with the thought that I would be revived. I did this in the hope that one day my descendants will benefit from this wonderful scientific solution.”