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Monday 7 November 2016

Old age

In his book about a utopia, Republic, Plato pictured the ideal state where men live to a healthy old age on a vegetarian diet of bread (wholemeal bread ground from local wheat), cheese, fruit, vegetables and olives.

The words "senile" and "senator" are based on the same Latin root word meaning "old man" .

Queen Elizabeth I of England was subconscious in her old age about her black teeth so she stuffed a silk handkerchief into her mouth before appearing in public.

The first recorded instance of a person living in three centuries was that of Margaret Ann Neve, a woman from the British island of Guernsey who lived from 1792 to 1903.

Sogen Kato was believed to be the oldest man in Tokyo at the age of 111 until it was discovered he died at 79 in 1978 and the family lied about it to keep receiving his pension.

The word "whiskey" comes from the Gaelic word "usquebaugh", which means the "water of life" because alchemists were convinced that whiskey was the long-sought cure for old age.

That "old person smell" is actually caused by a chemical, called 2-nonenal, that old people secrete through their skin.

One in four people will be drawing pension by the year 2029.

Four out of five people over 100 years old are women.

Old Woman Dozing by Nicolaes Maes (1656). Royal Museums of Fine Arts, Brussels

The State of New Mexico exempts people 100 years of age or older from paying income taxes.

100 year old citizens of Barbados have their portrait printed on postal stamps to celebrate their anniversaries.

Japan is considered a "super-aged" nation since more than 20% of the population is over 65.

Okinawa is the main island of the Ryukyu group, which lies approximately halfway between China and Japan. It has some of the longest living people on earth, and the highest rate of people over a hundred in the world. Two thirds of them are still living independently at the age of 97.

By 2050, the world’s population of centenarians (people who are 100 years old or older) will grow to eight times its current size.

The Book  of Proverbs: "Grey hairs are death's blossoms."

Mark Twain: "When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it's a sure sign you're getting old."

On his 100th birthday the jazzman Eubie Blake (1883-1983) said: "If I'd known I was gonna live this long I'd have taken better care of myself."

Sarah Knauss was an American supercentenarian who held the title of the world's oldest living person for a brief period. She was born on September 24, 1880, in Hollywood, Pennsylvania, and lived a remarkable life spanning three different centuries. Sarah Knauss passed away on December 30, 1999, at the age of 119 years and 97 days, just 2 days shy of the year 2000. She is still the oldest living American.


Corporal Frank Buckles was the the last surviving American soldier from World War I, passing away in 2011 at age 110. When he was asked his secret for living so long, his advice was simply "when you start to die... don't".

In China, there is an "eldery rights" law which makes it illegal for anyone who has parents over 60 not to visit them regularly.

South Korea's government organizes dance parties for elderly people with the sole purpose to tackle loneliness and prevent dementia in the rapidly aging country.

Bob Hope; "You know you're getting old, when the candles cost more than the cake."

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