James Harrison (blood donor)

James Harrison, Australian blood plasma donor (died 2025)

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Born: December 27, 1936
Died: February 17, 2025
Zodiac sign: Capricorn
Birth year: 1936

About James Harrison (blood donor)

James Christopher Harrison (27 December 1936 – 17 February 2025) was an Australian blood donor known as the "Man with the Golden Arm" for his prolific history of donations, 1,173 times between the ages 18 to 81. Harrison primarily donated plasma after his blood was found to contain antibodies against the Rh D antigen, making them useful in preventing Rh disease, and was one of the founding donors for the New South Wales Rh Program. After the first few donations, it was discovered that his blood contained unusually strong and persistent antibodies against the D Rh group antigen.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when James Harrison (blood donor) was born

James Harrison (blood donor) was born in 1936. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1936

#1 song"The Way You Look Tonight" – Fred Astaire
Top movieModern Times (Charlie Chaplin)
Top TV showBBC Television Service launches
Best-selling bookGone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentJesse Owens wins 4 gold medals at Berlin Olympics
Top headlineJesse Owens dominates the Berlin Olympics
Technology milestoneBBC launches the world's first regular television service
Defining fadSwing dancing
Notable inventionSun glasses (mass-produced)
World population2.26 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderFranklin D. Roosevelt
Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
U.S. population128.1M

1936 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in James Harrison (blood donor)'s birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1936	2026
Gas	$0.19	$3.45/gal
Average home	$5,100	$435,000
Average income	$2,900	$67,500
Minimum wage	$0.25	$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket	$0.25	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.03	$0.73
Population	128.1M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Library of Congress, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.