Robert Ettinger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Ettinger
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Photo of Ettinger taken in the 1940s
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| Born |
Robert Chester Wilson Ettinger
December 4, 1918 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
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| Died | July 23, 2011 (aged 92) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
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| Resting place | Patient at the Cryonics Institute |
| Citizenship | USA |
| Education | Teacher for physics and mathematics |
| Alma mater | Wayne State University |
| Organization | Cryonics Institute, Immortalist Society |
| Known for | starting the idea of cryonics |
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Notable work
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The Penultimate Trump The Prospect of Immortality Man Into Superman Youniverse |
| Children | David (1951) Shelley (1954) |
| Parent(s) | Rhea Chaloff Ettinger |
Robert Chester Wilson Ettinger (born December 4, 1918 – died July 23, 2011) was an American teacher. He is known as the "father of cryonics". This is because of his important 1962 book, The Prospect of Immortality.
Mr. Ettinger started the Cryonics Institute. He also founded the Immortalist Society. He was the president of these groups until 2003. His body was cryopreserved after he died. His mother and both of his wives were also cryopreserved.
Contents
Robert Ettinger's Early Life
Robert Ettinger was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His parents were immigrants from Russia. He grew up in a Jewish family. Later, he became an atheist, meaning he did not believe in God.
He served in the United States Army during World War II. He was a second lieutenant in the infantry. He was badly hurt in Germany. He received the Purple Heart medal for his injuries. He spent several years recovering in a hospital in Michigan.
Education and Career
Mr. Ettinger earned two master's degrees. He studied physics and mathematics at Wayne State University. He spent his career teaching these subjects. He taught at Wayne State University and Highland Park Community college in Michigan.
Family Life
Robert Ettinger had two children with his first wife, Elaine. Their names were David (born 1951) and Shelley (born 1954). David was interested in cryonics. He gave his first interview about it at age 12. He later became a lawyer. He worked as a legal advisor for the Cryonics Institute.
Ettinger met his second wife, Mae Junod, in 1962. She took one of his physics classes. Mae helped him type and edit his books. These included The Prospect of Immortality. She also worked for the Cryonics Society of Michigan. She edited their magazine, The Outlook. This magazine was later called The Immortalist. It is the longest-running cryonics magazine. Mae was also a writer and a marriage counselor.
Robert and Mae married in 1988. This was after his first wife passed away. Ettinger said his time with Mae was very happy. They moved to Scottsdale, Arizona in 1995. They started to retire from their work in cryonics. Mae had a serious stroke in 1998. She never fully recovered. She had another stroke in 2000 and was cryopreserved.
Robert Ettinger died on July 23, 2011. He was 92 years old. He died in Detroit, Michigan, from natural causes. His body was also cryopreserved. He hoped to be brought back to life in the future.
How Science Fiction Inspired Cryonics
Ettinger loved reading science fiction books. He especially liked Amazing Stories by Hugo Gernsback. A story called "The Jameson Satellite" greatly influenced him. It was in the July 1931 issue of Amazing Stories.
In this story, Professor Jameson's body was sent into space. The author thought it would stay frozen forever. Millions of years later, robots with organic brains found it. They fixed Jameson's brain and put it in a robot body. He then joined them.
Ettinger thought that scientists would soon find a way to make people live forever. As he grew older, he realized this might take longer. He wondered if people could be frozen. Then, future doctors could bring them back to life. This idea came from the science fiction story.
In 1948, Ettinger wrote his own short story. It was called "The Penultimate Trump." It was about putting people into "suspended animation." This would happen until medical science could heal them. The story showed what happened when the first person was revived.
Starting the Cryonics Movement
Ettinger waited for scientists to agree with his ideas. He hoped they would speak out publicly. By 1960, he decided to share his thoughts himself. He was 42 and worried about getting old.
He wrote a short summary about cryonics. He focused on how life insurance could help pay for it. He sent it to about 200 important people. But not many people responded. He realized he needed to explain his ideas more deeply.
He saw that people needed to understand his belief. He thought dying was often a slow process. He believed it could be reversed. He also thought that freezing damage could be fixed in the future. Ettinger found it hard to convince people. He said many needed to be "coaxed into admitting that life is better than death."
The Prospect of Immortality Book
In 1962, Ettinger published an early version of his book. It was called The Prospect of Immortality. In it, he said that future technology could bring people back to life. This book got the attention of a big publisher. They sent a copy to Isaac Asimov, a famous science fiction writer.
Asimov said the science behind cryonics was good. So, the book was published in 1964 by Doubleday. This book officially started the cryonics movement. It became a popular choice for the Book of the Month Club. It was also translated into nine languages.
Ettinger became famous very quickly. He was talked about in The New York Times and Time. He appeared on TV shows with David Frost and Johnny Carson. He also spoke on many radio programs. He wanted to spread the idea of human cryopreservation.
Everyone involved in cryonics today can trace their interest back to Ettinger's books. He was the first to clearly explain the idea of cryonics. Another person, Evan Cooper, also wrote about similar ideas in 1962. But Cooper's book was not as scientific or well-written as Ettinger's.
Books by Robert Ettinger
- The Prospect of Immortality (1962, 1964 & later editions)
- Available online at The Prospect of Immortality
- Man into Superman (1972 & later editions)
- Available online at Man Into Superman
- Youniverse (new edition, 2009)
- Available at Youniverse
See also
In Spanish: Robert Ettinger para niños
