The B-58 article has an interesting note: > Unusually, the ejection system was tested with live bears and chimpanzees; it was qualified for use during 1963 and

The B-58 article has an interesting note: > Unusually, the ejection system was tested with live bears and chimpanzees; it was qualified for use during 1963 and a bear became the first living being to survive a supersonic ejection.