Monday, February 18, 2008

Very Old Dutch Crooner To the Nazis


Johannes Heesters, the 104-year-old cabaret performer who was once a favorite of Hitler, returned to his Dutch hometown for the first time in four decades to perform.

His performance was not without controversy. Heesters, a super-star in his own right, said he was not being political when he became a favorite performer for the Germans occupying The Nederlands during WWII.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Oldest Woman: Israeli Muslim


According to her birth certificate, issued by the Ottoman Empire authorities, Mariam Amash was born near her current home in the village of Jisr az-Zarka in 1888.

She has 10 children, 120 grandchildren, 250 great-grandchildren, and 30 great-great-grandchildren.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Nigeria: Oldest Man On Earth Dies

Alhaji Ladan, who was said to have been born around 1873, has died. If his age could be authenticated, he would have been by far the oldest man on earth.

The Igabi man from Kaduna State, Nigeria may have been 135 years old and may have left behind four children, 77 grand children and 182 great grand children.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

The Oldest Americans

Here's a good round-up of supercentenarian-ness in a recent Daily Herald story.


Including this:

Oldest Americans

The Gerontology Research Group keeps track of supercentenarians, those who are at least 110 years old. These are the oldest people in the United States.

114 years old:

  • Edna Parker, Indiana

113 years old

  • Arbella Ewing, Texas
  • Gertrude Baines, California
  • Catherine Hagel, Minnesota

112 years old

  • Beatrice Farve, Georgia
  • Elizabeth Stefan, Connecticut
  • Mary J. Ray, New Hampshire
  • Olivia P. Thomas, New York
  • Neva Morris, Iowa
  • Maggie Renfro, Louisiana

111 years old

  • C. Letitia Lawson, Iowa
  • George Francis, California
  • Helen Johnson, Oregon
  • Eunice Sanborn, Texas
  • Florence Busch, Wisconsin
  • Besse Cooper, Georgia
  • Berta Rosenberg, New York
  • Walter Breuning, Montana
  • Walter Seward, New Jersey
  • Nellie Jones, Michigan
  • Beatrice Cooper, Michigan

110 years old

  • Hattie Lafayette, Michigan
  • Mississippi Wynn, Louisiana
  • Dina Manfredini, Iowa
  • Viola Koch, California
  • M. Chrissie Martenstein, California
  • Mary Gentry, Alabama
  • Ella Schuler, Kansas
  • Ethel Johnson, Ohio
  • Noemi Anderson, California
  • Ruth M. Lincoln, Arkansas
  • Harvey Hite, Indiana

Friday, February 8, 2008

Oldest WWI Veteran has died


Harry Landis, the oldest US WWI veteran has died in Florida at age 108. OK, I said that already in the title of this post. But in December, J. Russell Coffey - the last oldest WWI veteran - died in Ohio at age 109. This leaves one known WWI survivor of the 4.7 million who served. Frank Buckles of West Virginia who is 107 was only 16 when he enlisted - he lied about his age.