Cremation is nothing new; the Greeks practiced cremation as early as 1000 B.C. But it took awhile for the ancient practice -- used at first during wars and later for many military heroes -- to be adopted by the modern world. The first European interest in the practice began in 1874, when Sir Henry Thompson, Queen Victoria’s surgeon, wrote “Cremation: The Treatment of the Body After Death,” which became a powerful argument for this method of disposing of dead bodies. He also organized the Cremation Society of England. It wasn’t long before Americans became interested, too. On this date in 1876, the first U.S. crematorium was built in Washington, Pa. The New York Cremation Society was organized five years later, and the Cremation Association of America in 1913.

Copyright InteliHealth, Inc., 2011. All rights reserved.