History Of Blood By kaylynn.c 2500 BCE Egyptians used bloodletting to try to cure diseases 500 BCE Greeks distinguished the difference between arteries and veins 1795 First blood transfusion preformed 1901 Karl Landsteiner discovered three blood types (A, B, O) 1902 Alfred Decastello discovered the fourth blood type (AB) 1922 Percy Oliver established the first blood donor service 1935 Mayo Clinic developed a method to store blood for transfusions 1937 Dr. Bernard Fantus established the first blood bank 1940 Karl Landsteiner discovered the first Rh protein 1959 First case of AIDS recorded in Congo 1984 Robert Gallo identified the virus causing AIDs 1985 Development of ELISA test to screen for diseases such as HIV 1987 Scientist began developing blood-screening test for diseases