The Richest Man Frozen to Revive After 50 Years

A man in the USA decided to freeze himself to save his life forever. Is this a crazy idea?

Let’s read on to find out more about the richest man in America froze his body for 50 years.

In 1967, one of America’s wealthiest men was dying of cancer. He spent a fortune to freeze himself in the hope that future medical advances would revive him.

He became the world’s first “frozen man” and shocked the world. Now that more than 50 years have passed, will this plan be a success? Does he have a “new life”? Let’s explore who he was.

The richest man in America froze his body for 50 years

Who was James Bedford?

James Bedford was born into a wealthy Massachusetts family in 1893. As a child, he never worried about food or clothing.

The first person to be cryonically preserved was James Bedford, a psychology professor at the University of California. He chose to be cryonically preserved, even leaving money in his will for a steel capsule and liquid nitrogen. When he died on January 12, 1967, his family honored his wishes. This was a momentous day for the cryonics community and is still known as “Bedford Day. The Time magazine article on the event was entitled “Never Say Die. Bedford was moved to another tank in 1991 and is doing well.

What was James Bedford’s life like?

After growing up, James became “the richest man in America” by using his intelligence to start a successful business.

James had a happy family and a successful career; he was considered a winner. James had planned to enjoy his retirement, but suddenly illness struck. In 1965, James was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He had always been in good health, but this rare disease hit him hard.

James felt pain because he still had a lot of work to do, he began to look for doctors everywhere, trying to find the last hope for himself.

He started looking for doctors, hoping they could help. James’ condition worsened. Faced with death, James was afraid.

A friend gave him a book called “The Prospect of Immortality,” which gave him new hope. The author of this book recorded detailed research on human cryonics. Cryogenic technology can revive dead cells and help people survive into the future. After reading the book, he had a bold idea.

The Richest Man Frozen to Revive After 50 Years

James started paying attention to “cryonics technology” and met Robert Nelson, Robert Ettinger’s assistant, who was very interested in cryonics. Nelson, an electrician with no formal education, read The Prospect of Immortality and was drawn to the “cryonics technology” mentioned therein. He then began researching the topic and worked to become Robert Ettinger’s assistant.

Since meeting Nelson, James has shared many of Nelson’s thoughts.

James saw this as his only chance. If he froze himself, he hoped to wake up cured of his cancer 50 years later.

How much did James spend on his preservation?

James spent $4,200 on liquid nitrogen and a cryogenic chamber for his research, leaving most of his assets for future cryogenic preservation and related research. He died in 1967, officially beginning the “freezing plan.”

As he died, James felt calm, as if he were going to sleep and would wake up.

After 50 years of waiting, how does this story end?

The doctor pronounced James dead.

The cryonics team began processing his body. They gave him a cold bath, cooled his body, and drained his blood. Dimethyl sulfoxide (an antiseptic liquid) was injected into his body.

His body temperature was lowered, and he was wrapped in plastic and placed in liquid nitrogen at -196°C.

Everyone waited. James’s “release” date is unknown, so his team is “interrogated” by the outside world almost every year. He had planned to be revived in 2017, but that day never came.

The cryonics team couldn’t develop a safe, feasible thawing plan, and James’s body was moved several times, making thawing more difficult. Experts say James will never see the light of day again. We haven’t found effective ways to treat cancer, not even with today’s technology. No one knows how long James will sleep forever.