Flashback Monday: In 1966 Reston, They Weren't Breeding Like Rabbits, They Were Breeding Rabbits

We all know about the hilarity that occurred when a bunch of monkeys in a lab in Reston's Isaac Newton Square caught a trivial infection that wound up being so nice, they named it after our planned community, bringing fame and fortune to our fair community as far away as the Philippines before they closed the lab and put a daycare center for human children on the same, Ebolarific spot. But did you know that the first awesome animal experiments in Reston didn't involve monkeys? Nope, they involved rabbits. Enjoy this little bit of Reston trivia from 1966.

Occupying 10,812 sq. ft., Hazleton's Rabbit Breeding Division, headed by Doctor William H. Dieterich, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, is starting a program of breeding carefully controlled colony of rabbits destined for use in life science research. In this facility rabbits will he raised in a specially air-conditioned environment so as to produce specimens free from health imperfections which can distort research results. This facility should gain recognition as the most sophisticated rabbit breeding operation in the world. The care with which the animals are bred and raised will make a significant contribution to life science research in minimization of extraneous effects due to pre-research disease or contamination.

Aw, cute! Everyone loves bunnies. And it's nice they got to live in a nice, air-conditioned facility. It wasn't clear exactly what the rabbits were being bred for, but we can safely assume it probably had something to do with strapping bombs to dolphins. In the meantime, please to be enjoying this picture of 1966-era Hazelton scientists returning home after a long day of watching rabbits copulate.

"Another tough day at the office, Ed?"

"Yep. We even tried playing some Nancy Sinatra on the hi-fi, but Fluffy's mind just didn't seem focused on the job at hand."