50 years later, no one expected

James Hiram Bedford, a psychology professor and World War I veteran, lived an adventurous life, traveling across Africa, the Amazon, and Europe. In 1967, he was diagnosed with terminal kidney cancer, which had spread to his lungs. With no medical options available, Bedford turned to cryonics, inspired by Dr. Robert Ettinger’s book The Prospect of Immortality. Hoping to be revived in the future, he became the first person to undergo body freezing after death. On January 12, 1967, Bedford died and was injected with dimethyl sulfoxide by cryonics pioneer Robert Nelson. His body was preserved, marking the beginning of a controversial scientific experiment. More than 50 years later, many wonder, “Can humans possess the technology to revive a dead person?” In 2017, The Daily Telegraph revisited Bedford’s case, questioning whether advancements in science could fulfill his dream. However, despite modern medical progress, no technology yet exists to bring him back to life. Three years after that milestone, the mystery remains—will Bedford’s frozen body ever be revived, or will cryonics remain a distant hope?