1908
First skin allograft-transplantation of skin tissue from a donor to a recipient by Jacques Louis Reverdin (Swiss)

First knee joint from deceased donor transplant by Erich Lexer (German)

1954
First kidney transplant between identical twins by Joseph Murray (American)

1955
First heart valve allograft into descending aorta by Gordon Murray (Canadian)

1962
First heart valve transplanted into cardiac position by Brian Barrett-Boyes (New Zealander) and Donald Ross (British)

1966
First pancreas/kidney transplant in U.S. by Richard Lillehei and William Kelly
(American)

1967
First heart transplant by Christiaan Barnard (South African)

First liver transplant by Thomas Starzl (American)

1968
Uniform Anatomical Gift Act allows gift of organs to others

Harvard Criteria for the Determination of Brain Death defines brain death on neurological criteria

1972
Uniform Organ Donor Card becomes a legal document in all 50 States

1981
First heart-lung transplant by Bruce Reitz (American)

1983
First single-lung transplant by a Canadian team led by Dr. Joel Cooper

FDA approves cyclosporine—the most successful anti-rejection medication developed to date

1984
National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-507) establishes the National Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN)

1986
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-509) requires all families of potential donors to be approached for donation. Hospitals must comply to receive Medicare benefits

1990
Joseph Murray (first kidney transplant) awarded Nobel Prize for Medicine

1993
Gallup Poll reports that 85 percent of Americans support organ donation

1996
500,000 tissue transplants performed in the U.S.

2001
For the first time, living donors in the U.S. (6,528) outnumber deceased organ donors (6,081)

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