Happy Birthday, Jiroemon!
He seems pretty happy for someone who's seen almost
every terrible thing that has ever happened in modern history.
But he also has another record going for him. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Jiroemon is the only man left alive who was born in the 19th Century. He was born 116 years ago, last Friday, in 1897.
There are, however, at least 21 women who were born before 1901. And in the referenced article above, it's important to note some interesting statistics. Mainly, that 90 percent of "supercentenarians" (I think they get a cape when they are officially classified as such) are women, due in part to having two X chromosomes, which "offers a certain amount of protection from disease and disability." Also, there are an estimated 200-300 people who can claim that title. And as I mentioned in my previous post, having a healthy lifestyle isn't that important to living past 100. In fact, at least 20 percent of those supercentenarians engage in very unhealthy habits, including eating unhealthily, smoking, and living sedentary lives.
Just for fun, let's look at some of the notable things in history that took place in 1897:
- William McKinley becomes president of the United States on March 4th
- The first Boston Marathon is held April 19. Only fifteen men race, and John McDermott wins.
- Speaking of Boston: The Boston subway opened on September 1, 1897, becoming the first underground metro in North America.
- Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is first published on May 26. (This one blows my mind.)
- The word "computer", meaning an electronic calculation device, is first used.
- Bayer first produces Aspirin.
- The electron is discovered by scientist J. J. Thomson.
And a couple other famous births in 1897:
- Amelia Earhart - July 24, 1897
- William Faulkner - September 25, 1897
No comments:
Post a Comment