Live Long: feats of longevity and aging

Longevity War Wages Online

2010-10-13T19:43:00.000-04:00

Longevity enthusiasts, researchers and fans are divided or perhaps they have just collided.

Who are the oldest people?

What is the legitimate means of verifying age?
Historical birth records which have not been around for very long and are the legal means of doing so?Oral history should count for something, no? Folklore?
First person testimony?
Scientific analysis?
And then there are the published myths of longevity many of us know from the Bible and elsewhere and those stories we read in Weekly World News which easily could have appeared in The Onion.

And should Wikipedia have an entries for Longevity, Longevity Myths or Traditions? And what about record breaking super-centenarians (individuals who live longer than 100)?

The war goes on here.

Actress Gloria Stuart 1900-2010

2010-10-03T15:36:00.000-04:00

Gloria Stuart was the oldest Academy award nominated actress for her role in Titanic (1997) at age 87. She died last month at age 100. Not shabby!

Oldest Twin Controversy

2010-10-02T10:08:00.001-04:00

Cao Daqiao and Cao Xiaoqiao will be 105

Twins in France had a birthday last week. They were 98. (No, that's not them in the photo on the right.) Perhaps it was translation from French? Perhaps it's just news on the internet? But they are billed as the World's Oldest Twins.

As you may have guessed, this is not true. There are people out there keeping tabs on the demographics of all 6+ billion of us. Of course, they make mistakes, but according to them (via Wikipedia - which I would trust with all my most precious memories) the oldest Twins are in China and they are much older.

Born on October 5, 1905, Cao Daqiao and Cao Xiaoqiao will be 105 tomorrow!

(They are pictured here in a story from http://www.mirror.co.uk/.)

Happy Birthday Walter Breuning - world's oldest man

2010-09-19T19:35:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday Walter Breuning of Great Falls, Montana, the world's oldest man, will enjoy his 114 birthday.

Dutch Men are getting Older and Older

2010-09-15T21:08:00.000-04:00

There are more centenarians in Holland than before! And more old men than last year. But those older women still outnumber the men ... and for some reason always will.

130 Year Old Man

2010-09-13T21:19:00.000-04:00

Here's a 130 year old man... according to his ID.
Of course his son looks about 45, so he would have been 85 when he was born.
Well, you never know...

Oldest Twins Die at 105

2008-03-06T12:28:00.003-05:00

Ellen Robertson of Winnipeg and her sister Sarah Jeanmougin of Arizona have died. They were 105 and were the world's oldest twins. Robertson died in late December and Jeanmougin died in February.

Very Old Dutch Crooner To the Nazis

2008-02-18T20:53:00.004-05:00

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.

Oldest Woman: Israeli Muslim

2008-02-17T20:38:00.003-05:00

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.

Nigeria: Oldest Man On Earth Dies

2008-02-12T13:35:00.001-05:00

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.

The Oldest Americans

2008-02-09T10:53:00.000-05:00

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

Oldest WWI Veteran has died

2008-02-08T20:41:00.000-05:00

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.

Oldest Afghan Man 117 Gone

2008-01-31T10:01:00.000-05:00

Khudai Birdy, the oldest man in Afghanistan, has died at age 117. The next oldest is 113.

According to his 15th son Khan Mohammad, Khudai, believed to bethe oldest man in Afghanistan, had married four times and left behind 40 children and 200 grandsons.

Oldest Inmate Dies

2008-01-28T18:54:00.000-05:00

Wisconsin’s oldest inmate, Ellef Ellefson, died at age 103. Ellefson, a serial sex offender, spent a lot of time behind bars. At age 95, he was committed by the state beyond his sentencing.

100-year-old man stars in conceptual art

2008-01-25T13:19:00.000-05:00

A 100 year old man is being paid $100 per day to be a human subject of conceptual art.

In Yazoo City, Mississippi, Walter Carter has been featured in works by New York-based African-American artist Ralph Lemon.

Oldest Native Eyak Speaker Dead

2008-01-25T08:20:00.000-05:00

Marie Smith Jones, the last full-blooded member of Alaska's Eyak Indians and the last fluent speaker of their native language, has died. She was 89. The Eyaks live near Prince William Sound, Alaska.

She worked with a linguist to compile an Eyak dictionary and grammar.

Undoubtedly there is a need to provide a record of the Eyak language in digital form on the internet.

There are 7,000 unique languages spoken on this planet. One language is lost every two weeks. Now another human language and part of a culture are gone.

A recent movie, The Linuists, describes the relevance of this, as well as the pursuit of some lesser known languages.

Oldest Oscar Nominees

2008-01-22T15:27:00.000-05:00

This just in on Oscar news:

Ruby Dee, 83, is the second oldest Oscar nominee for acting ever. Gloria Stuart, nominated for “Titanic” in 1998, was 87 at the time of her nomination. If Dee wins, she becomes the oldest Oscar winner for acting ever. There’s an age difference of 70 years between her and fellow supporting actress nominee Saoirse Ronan, 13.

Hal Holbrook, meanwhile, is the oldest male actor ever nominated. (He's 82).

Announcing The Oldest Barber in The World

2008-01-21T19:58:00.000-05:00

Anthony Mancinelli, a 96 year old New Yorker, has been declared the oldest barber in the world. He's been a barber for 83 years. Finally, the crazy Guinness World Records has sent Mancinelli a certificate.

L'homme français le plus âgé est mort

2008-01-21T16:33:00.000-05:00

The oldest French man and the next to last WWI survivor has died. Louis de Cazenave was 110.

Longevity Calculator #3: getting better

2008-01-18T14:20:00.000-05:00

This longevity calculator from MSN, seems to ask the right questions and give me the right answers. It has me living to age 90. Now that's more like it.

This calculator is easy to use. For me who tries to live the "good" life, it has preselected most of the right options - no smoker, constant weight, good diet, etc. But be prepared with your blood pressure and cholesterol level. Also, if you are a man, you'll have to tell it honestly if you have regular proctoscopic examinations. On the negative side, it doesn't ask you marital status or whether you are under stress. Marriage is supposed to be good for you, while stress may not.

Last Oldest Person Dies

2008-01-15T09:51:00.000-05:00

Hryhoriy Nestor was the oldest person in the world until his death in December. The Ukrainian was 116 and could be considered one of the oldest people ever, but unfortunately he is not on any official longevity lists.

The world's official oldest living person is currently Edna Parker of Indiana, who turned 114 in April.

Another Longevity Calculator

2008-01-14T21:51:00.000-05:00

Here's another calculator, if you don't mind answering many personal questions in the following areas: Social, Health, Nutrition, Medical, Family. This one has me pegged at living to age 88. Oddly by asking me many personal questions, it did about the same as the IRS lookup table.

Longevity Calculator

2008-01-14T21:45:00.000-05:00

Here's a simple longevity calculator. It claims to use IRS tables. The IRS thinks I'll live until 84. Not bad.

Live Bishop On the Landing

2008-01-14T21:34:00.000-05:00

At age 95, Peter Leo Gerety is the oldest American Catholic bishop. He attained this status when a 96 year old bishop passed away this past summer.

Windy City Gets Oldest Voter

2008-01-14T21:29:00.000-05:00

114 year old Virginia Call just registered to vote in Chicago. A friend helped her sign an 'X' on the form. It's anyones guess how she'll do on those hanging chads.

Oldest Woman To Climb Tallest Mountain

2008-01-14T21:19:00.001-05:00

At 77, Ann Windh is the oldest woman in the world to ever climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak in Africa. The Canadian ascended the 20,000 foot Tanzanian mountain in October.

The Oldest Immigrant In The World

2008-01-14T21:12:00.000-05:00

102-year-old Englishman Eric King-Turner is moving to New Zealand. His wife of 12 years is a citizen.

Feats of the oldest

2007-06-05T20:48:00.000-04:00

At 71, the Oldest one up high

A 71-year-old Japanese climber Katsusuke Yanagisawa became the oldest person to scale Everest.

Oldest People on 7 Summits

A 69-year old Werner Berger from Newmarket,Ontario became the oldest North American to reach all seven of the world's highest summits. These include Mt. Everest, Mt. McKinley and Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Speaking of climbing over world records, Jeanne Stawiecki at age 56 completed seven marathons and climbed the summits on the highest peaks on seven continents. I'm not sure why she is so modest.

79 Year old Triathaloner

In Texas, Phyllis Mann will become the oldest woman to compete in the Danskin Women’s Triathlon in Austin, Texas, at the age of 79.

A Cricketer No More at 96

The world's second oldest living test cricketer has died. Former New Zealand batsman Jack Kerr was 96 and only 10 days younger than the oldest.

Oldest Living Twins are 105

2007-06-04T07:05:00.002-04:00

Ellen Robertson and Sarah Jeanmougin have just turned 105. Pictured here at a previous celebration, the twin sisters are recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest living set of twins in the world.

Robertson who suffered a stroke recently and is hard of hearing celebrated with family her family in Winnipeg. Her sister was for health reasons unable to travel from her home in Arizona.

They were born May 29, 1902 among 10 children in what now is Wolseley, Saskatchewan. At that time the area was still part of the Northwest Territories.

Robertson taught an hour-long aerobics class at her senior home until she turned 93.

Old News: Oldest US Mother of Artificial Twins

2007-05-25T17:11:00.000-04:00

A 60 year old New Jersey woman went through a lot of trouble to get into the history books to become the oldest American mother of twins this week. The twin boys were conceived via artificial-insemination in South Africa at a center which specialized in fertility in older women.

The newest babies are healthy, although they were born somewhat prematurely (35 weeks), somewhat under-weight (4 pounds 11 ounces), and via c-section.

The story is getting old fast, so fast in fact that you can read a reasonable account here from the Iranian Alalam News.

Though a record of some sort, Freda Birnbaum is not the oldest mother in the world (age 66), nor the the oldest American mother (age 63, in which the mother lied to the fertility clinic about her real age). This record is simply for being the oldest American mother of twins.

The new baby boys A and B have older siblings, brothers ages 6 and 33 and a sister age 29.

Birnbaum is now friends with Lauren Cohen who was the previous record holder having her kids exactly one year earlier at age 59.

Oldest Blogger

2007-05-21T20:21:00.000-04:00

Somewhere out there is the world's oldest blogger. Like everything else in the oldest business, there are some grey areas.

Donald Crowdis of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada is 93 and has a blog called Don To Earth.

Olive Riley is 107 and blogs, but as she can no longer see, she is assisted by Mike Rubbo. She lives way down under, and her blog is called The Life Of Riley.

One Whopper of a Birthday

2007-05-20T10:57:00.000-04:00

An Indian man just enjoyed a huge celebration of his birthday. He is what I consider a double-senior citizen (older than 65 times two). At 138, Habib Miyan's has been entered into the Limca Book of Records. (I couldn't find his entry on their website, and their book is not readily available here in the U.S.)

I just love this stuff!

According to this interesting 2005 story, he might really only be 129 today.

But the problem is that the most widely accepted oldest person died in 1997 at the age of 122.

Is the Guinness (beer) Book of World Records more reliable than the Limca (Coca-Cola) Book of (Indian) Records? Or visa-versa?

There are certainly dozens of people who feel one way and over a billion of people who probably feel the other way?

He might deserve an entry in Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, but they have him beat. The oldest person that they have verified lived until age 166. To their credit, Ripley's discounted familiar reports of longevity from the Bible and a 244 year old Chinese man once featured in Time Magazine.

So here's a big happy 138th birthday to Habib Miyan!

And you can believe it or not!

Oldest Sports

2007-05-16T20:15:00.000-04:00

At 68, solo sailing legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston finished the Velux 5 Oceans round the world yacht race. He completed the 30,000 mile race last week in Bilbao, Spain after 159 days at sea and finished fourth.

In order to raise money for her church, Bessie Sandison rappelled down a bridge pillar of a 165ft bridge. The 86 year old lives in Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire, Scottland.

Another Scott has made the news. Muriel Annan, age 86, is the oldest female member of her golf club and has hit her first hole in one after 60 years of playing. She made the shot during a senior ladies' event at Merchants of Edinburgh Golf Club.

New Yorker Barbara Hillary recently traveled and then skied to the north pole. A lung cancer survivor, at the age of 75, she is the oldest woman and first black woman to reach the North Pole.

100-year-old Lola Harcourt became the oldest person to mount the observation deck of Sydney's tallest building. "Sydney is a lot bigger than I remember,” Lola said.

(OK, it appears from this story that she took the elevator and was pushed in a wheel chair, so this is hardly a true feat of physical daring or skill.)

A South African woman fulfilled her promise to her grandchildren to go skydiving in Cape Town. Georgina Harwood age 92 jumped from a height of 9,000 feet.

N. K. Mahajan, a retired teacher in Pune, sailed at a height of 250 feet before being brought down to the cheering of his friends and former students on Friday.
At 87, he has the honor of being the oldest person in India to parasail.

At age 106, Bill Hargrove of Decatur, Georgia became the oldest league bowler in the world. In a most recent game he scored a 93 (that's higher than what I bowled last month) which is pretty good considering he cannot see the lane very well and needs friends to tell him which pins are still up. He's been bowling since 1924. That's 83 years of bowling.

Oldest Profession: Postmaster

2007-05-16T09:34:00.000-04:00

Verna Naylor, the oldest postmaster and the oldest female U.S. Postal Service employee in the United States, is 91. She took over the job in 1968 after the death of her husband. Her Bentonville, Ohio post office is 150.

Studs Terkel is 95 today! Happy Birthday Studs! Hear a birthday interview with him today on Democracy Now!

Besides living a rich life, Terkel was, at age 93, one of the recently become the oldest people ever to receive open-heart surgery. Few others have been older.

Oldest Woman Meets Tallest: 114 and 7 foot 7

2007-05-13T20:45:00.000-04:00

Last month, Edna Parker the oldest American, the world's 2nd oldest woman and 2nd oldest person, celebrated her birthday with Bertha Fry, 113, and with 7-foot-7 Sandy Allen, the world's tallest woman.

Parker at 114 outlived her husband and children and lives at the Heritage House Convalescent Center in Shelbyville, Indiana.

Oldest Deaths

2007-05-13T20:39:00.000-04:00

Last month, Reuel Millar of Lakewood, Colorado passed away at age 110.

Rosaria Caleca age 112 of Long Island has died. She was the oldest person in New York, the 8th oldest American, and 18th oldest person in the world. She was born in Palermo, Sicily, on Feb. 5, 1895.

Perhaps the oldest person in the world, 128-year-old Mary Ewen (Granny Mary) of Manchester, Jamaica has died. A self-taught midwife, nanny, doula, and farmer, Granny Mary was credited with delivering babies extending to three generations.

Kind Reader, you will notice here that some supercentarians have ages which exceed the known recorded human lifespan. They often are from third-world countries where record keeping is not as stringent especially 100 years ago. I believe that these people probably are indeed old, are quite old, and are certainly among the world's oldest people.

Oldest Law Student is 87

2007-05-12T18:22:00.000-04:00

China Daily reports :

An 87-year-old man, Wang Jianbang of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, has become the oldest person in China to take law courses.

According to Sun Jiwen, headmaster of the training school, Wang hopes to become a lawyer when he graduates.

Wang decided to take up law after he lost a property case early this year.

Moved by Wang's spirit, the training school has waived his tuition fees of more than 10,000 yuan ($1,298).

Oldest Graduate: no grown-ups left behind

2007-05-11T09:08:00.000-04:00

In two weeks Nola Ochs will graduate from Fort Hays State University in Kansas. By doing so at age 95, she will become the world's oldest college graduate.

Her achievement was recently noted in the Philadelphia Inquirer and in many other news outlets.

"I work like a beaver," the Kansas native said. "When finals come, I work like two beavers."

Her degree, quite appropriately, is in History.

Meanwhile elsewhere in Kansas...

Though he's 55 years old and legally blind, Marvin Bottomley will become his High School's oldest graduate.

He recently attended the prom with his wife.

Oldest Post

2007-05-10T09:58:00.000-04:00

Since this is a brand new blog, this is the oldest post and always will be. Oldest has many connotations. Sticking around, being first and surviving makes you oldest.

Oldest is the theme of this blog in every sense. In fact, in ways I have not yet fleshed out.

So welcome! Let's see where this goes.