February 22, 1997 – Birth of Dolly the sheep announced

On February 22, 1997, scientists in Scotland announced the birth of Dolly the sheep, the world’s first successfully cloned mammal. Dolly was actually born on July 5, 1996, but her birth was revealed in February 1997 and raised controversy. However, its supporters heralded Dolly’s birth as one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs. Dolly was created at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh from an adult cell and was named after singer and actress Dolly Parton. Dolly, who was mated to another sheep David, gave birth to four lambs. By January 2002, Dolly began to have complication such as arthritis in her hind legs and on February 14, 2003, at the age of six, was put down as she was suffering from progressive lung disease.