First IVF Baby Born: Louise Brown Enters the World
Louise Joy Brown was born by planned Caesarean section at Oldham General Hospital in England on July 25, 1978, weighing 5 pounds 12 ounces. She was the first human conceived outside the body, the result of a decade of work by physiologist Robert Edwards and gynecologist Patrick Steptoe. The procedure involved removing an egg from her mother Lesley's ovary, fertilizing it with sperm in a petri dish, and implanting the embryo two and a half days later. The Vatican condemned the procedure. Scientists celebrated. Edwards eventually won the Nobel Prize in 2010, thirty-two years after the birth. Over 12 million people have since been born through IVF, fundamentally transforming reproductive medicine and family structures worldwide.
July 25, 1978
48 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on July 25
Diocletian elevated his fellow soldier Maximian to the rank of Caesar, splitting the Roman Empire into eastern and western administrative halves. This pragmatic…
When Roman troops in York acclaimed Constantine as emperor on July 25, 306 AD, after his father Constantius died, he was one of six men claiming the imperial ti…
The Senate built Constantine's victory arch by stealing from older monuments. Trajan's sculptures, Hadrian's medallions, Marcus Aurelius's panels—all pried loos…
The Slavs brought siege towers taller than the city's double walls. For three days in 677, they hurled themselves at Thessalonica's defenses—the Byzantine Empir…
Charles the Bald issued the Edict of Pistres, mandating the construction of fortified bridges across the Seine and other major rivers to block Viking longships …
Wang Geon seized the throne to establish the Goryeo Dynasty after his soldiers deposed the erratic King Gung Ye. This transition unified the Korean Peninsula un…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.