On Jan. 15, 1982, the second AIDS patient was admitted to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) service at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of NIAID, saw the patient during a snowstorm that shut down the government.

The identification of the human immunodeficiency virus as the cause of AIDS made possible the subsequent development of tests and medications that have improved and lengthened the lives of millions worldwide.