All across the world, cremation has been a common way to handle a corpse for many centuries. Cremation started as far back as 20,000 years ago. There is evidence of cremation beginning in Europe roughly around 2,000 B.C. and many scholars believe the practice became quite popular around this time for Europeans.
Over time, the popularity of cremation began to wane. By the Middle Ages, cremation became a form of punishment and was not viewed as a compassionate way to care for the deceased. However, at the Vienna Exhibition of 1873, Professor Ludovico Brunetti revealed a furnace that he had invented specifically for cremation. Displayed with the furnace were about four pounds of cremated remains. Cremation reclaimed popularity by the late 1800’s and the first official crematory in the United States was constructed in 1876 in Washington, PA by Dr. Julius LeMoyne.