HIV / AIDS Timeline

40 years after the AIDS epidemic devastated the queer community and communities all around the world, we are proud to share our timeline of historic milestones including legislation, treatments, and protests within the epidemic as a whole. We are highlighting the brave individuals and organizations that fought for equality and representation in one of the most frightening times in American history. Curated from NIH, CDC, AIDS.gov, Wikipedia and other public sources by Drew Minard and Kambiz Shekdar of Research Foundation to Cure AIDS

1959

The first known case of HIV in a human occurs in the Congo (confirmed by later testing of preserved samples)

1969

St. Louis teenager Robert Rayford dies of an illness that baffles his doctors (confirmed by later testing of preserved samples)

1981

St. Vincent’s Hospital reports its first cases of AIDS

1982

Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) is formed as the first community-based AIDS service provider in the US
CDC uses the term “AIDS” for the first time

1983

U.S. Congress passes the first bill that includes funding targeted for AIDS research
The National AIDS Hotline opens and receives 8,000-10,000 callers daily
NYC physician Joseph Sonnabend is threatened with eviction for treating AIDS patients
NY State Attorney General and Lambda Legal join file the first AIDS discrimination lawsuit
Dr. Robert Gallo announces the discovery of the virus that causes AIDS

1984

The AIDS ward at St Vincent’s Hospital opens as the first and largest on the East Coast until 1995 when  HIV-related deaths peaked
The New York Times erroneously reports that AIDS may be transmissible through saliva
San Francisco public health officials order bathhouses closed

1985

Mother Teresa’s nuns opened one of the city’s early AIDS hospice centers at St. Veronica’s Church in the West Village.
AIDS activist Larry Kramer ’s debuts his play “Normal Heart” at the Public Theater
Actor Rock Hudson becomes the first major public figure who announces he has AIDS
President Ronald Reagan mentions AIDS publicly for the first time, calling it “a top priority”
Rock Hudson dies of AIDS-related illness at age 59
U.S. Congress allocates $190 million for AIDS research

1986

The International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses announces that the virus that causes AIDS will officially be known as “Human Immunodeficiency Virus” (HIV)
CDC reports that African Americans and Latinos are disproportionately affected by AIDS

1987

AIDS activist Cleve Jones creates the first panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to honor Marvin Feldman
AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is founded in NYC
FDA approves AZT as the first medication for AIDS
Princess Diana is photographed shaking the hand of an AIDS patient in a London hospital
The U.S. Public Health Service adds HIV as a “dangerous contagious disease” to its immigration exclusion list and mandates testing for all visa applicants
The National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS is established

1988

AIDS activists engage in a sit-in that shuts down FDA’s offices to protest the slow process to approve for treatments for HIV/AIDS
World AIDS Day is observed for the first time

1989

Photographer Robert Mapplethorpe dies of AIDS-related illness

1990

Pop artist Keith Haring dies of AIDS-related illness
Ryan White dies of AIDS-related illness at the age of 18

1991

St. Veronica’s installed a series of plaques dedicated to men who died from the plague.
The Visual AIDS Artist Caucus launches the Red Ribbon as a symbol to demonstrate compassion for people living with AIDS
American basketball star Earvin “Magic” Johnson announces he is HIV-positive
Freddie Mercury, lead singer/songwriter of the rock band Queen, dies of bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS

1992

The 8th International AIDS Conference is moved from Boston to Amsterdam due to U.S. immigration restrictions on people living with HIV/AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is founded
AIDS becomes the number one cause of death for U.S. men ages 25-44

1993

President Clinton establishes the White House Office of National AIDS Policy
The film Philadelphia the first major Hollywood film on AIDS
Tony Kushner’s Angels in America wins the Tony Award for Best Play

1994

AIDS becomes the leading cause of death for all Americans ages 25 to 44
The FDA approves an oral HIV test

1995

National HIV Testing Day is launched
500,000 cases of AIDS have been reported in the US by Oct 31, 1995

1996

The number of new AIDS cases in the U.S. begins declines for the first time
AIDS is no longer the leading cause of death for all Americans ages 25-44
The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) forms
The AIDS Memorial Quilt is displayed in its entirety for the last time

1998

President Clinton announces initiatives aimed at reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS on racial and ethnic minorities

1999

The World Health Organization announces that HIV/AIDS has become the fourth biggest killer worldwide and the number one killer in Africa
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is launched

2001

HIV Vaccine Awareness Day is launched

2003

President George W. Bush launches the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to stem the devastation caused by AIDS worldwide.
National Latino AIDS Awareness Day is launched

2005

National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is launched

2006

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is launched
National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is launched

2007

Timothy Ray Brown, also known as “The Berlin Patient,” becomes the first person cured of AIDS
Over 565,000 people have died of AIDS in the U.S. since 1981

2008

National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day is launched
National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is launched

2009

Caribbean American HIV/AIDS is launched

2010

St. Vincent’s closed on April 30, 2010. It was founded in 1849.
The US Government lifts the HIV travel and immigration ban
AIDS Action merges with the National AIDS Fund to form AIDS United

2012

The FDA approves the first at-home HIV test
The FDA approves the use of Truvada® for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)

2016

The AIDS Memorial across the site of the former St. Vincent’s Hospital was opened on World AIDS Day on December 1

2019

Adam Castillejo, also known only as “The London Patient,” becomes the second person cured of AIDS
Research Foundation to Cure AIDS (RFTCA) becomes the first not-for-profit research organization with its own biotechnology to develop a global cure on a pro bono basis
NIH and Gates Foundation announce $200 million in funding for research to cure HIV/AIDS and sickle cell disease
SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus / COVID-19 emerges

2020