Category: How Old Were They

Joan of Arc, Patron Saint of France, was a 17-year-old peasant girl in 1429 when she defied gender stereotypes and led French troops into battle. Believing she was acting under divine guidance, her victory at the siege of Orléans secured the coronation of Charles VII and turned the tide of the Hundred Years’ War against the British and in favor of France. On May 30, 1431, at Rouen in English-controlled Normandy, she was burned at the stake for heresy. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Joan of Arc, a 17-year-old peasant girl, was a divinely inspired warrior

Maurice Hilleman was 43 when he created the vaccine for mumps after his daughter contracted the illness in 1963. He swabbed the back of her throat, drove to his laboratory in the middle of the night, and turned the sample into the vaccine we use today. Hilleman single-handedly developed more than 40 vaccines, including the eight commonly given to children (measles, mumps, hepatitis A and B, chickenpox, meningitis, pneumonia, and Haemophilus influenzae), saving millions of lives and preventing serious complications Unfortunately, those advances are now in danger. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Thank Maurice Hillman for the life-saving vaccines, especially for children, that are now under threat

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

At age 62, Baroness Bertha von Suttner of Prague was the first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The 1905 award cited her strong anti-war stance, voiced in her influential novel Lay Down Your Arms. A good friend of Alfred Nobel, she also helped convince him to establish the peace prize in his will. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

A royal and influential voice for peace

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Horses must be 3 years old to compete in the Triple Crown races: Belmont Stakes, Preakness, and Kentucky Derby. Only 13 horses, all age 3, have ever won the Triple Crown. Secretariat holds the record for the fastest time in each race, set in 1973. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Horses must be at least 3 years old to compete in the Triple Crown races

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Rudyard Kipling was 41 when he won the 1907 Nobel Prize in Literature, the youngest writer to do so. The British journalist, novelist, poet, and short story writer was also the first English-language author to receive the award. Cited for “the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas, and remarkable talent for narration,” Kipling is best known for his novel The Jungle Book and poem “If —,” a guide to becoming a virtuous and resilient individual by adopting the Victorian virtues of patience, self-control, integrity, and perseverance. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Kipling was the youngest & first English-language writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Doris Haddock (a.k.a. Granny D) age 89 in 1999 when began walking 3,200 miles from Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. to promote campaign finance reform. She covered 10 miles a day, skiing when necessary, and relied on the kindness of strangers for housing and meals over the 14 months her journey took. At 94, Granny D unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate, one of the oldest candidates to pursue a national office. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

This nonagenarian walked cross-country in favor of campaign finance reform

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Alexander the Great was 20 when he became king of Macedonia in 336 BCE. By 30, he’d conquered much of the known world, creating an empire from Greece to northwestern India. Undefeated in battle, he is considered one of history’s greatest military commanders. He founded more than twenty cities and spread of Greek culture, leading to its dominance. Alexander died at 32 of unknown causes, likely from an infectious disease but possibly poisoning. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Alexander the Great conquered the world by age 30

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Henry Puyi was 2 years old when he became the last emperor of China, reigning as the Xuantong Emperor of the Qing dynasty from 1908 to 1912. During this tumultuous time, imperial rule was replaced by the Republic. Puyi abdicated at age 6, was briefly restored to power by a warlord, and became the puppet emperor of a Japanese-controlled state in WWII. Following the war, he was imprisoned by the Communist government, but was later pardoned and lived a quiet life as a gardener in Beijing until his death at age 61. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

After briefly becoming China’s last emperor at age 2, Henry Puji lived his final years as a gardener

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Doctor Washington Sheffield, an American dental surgeon, was 65 when he pioneered the idea of putting toothpaste in a collapsible tube in 1892. Colgate adopted Sheffield’s packaging in 1896. The doctor made other important contributions to dentistry and dental surgery, creating companies to market them. His toothpaste recipe is still packaged and sold as “Dr. Sheffield’s: The Original Toothpaste.” Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Thank a 65-year-old doctor for toothpaste in a tube

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Bobby Fischer was 14 when he became the youngest U.S. Chess Champion in 1957. He began playing at age 6, when his older sister Joan bought him his first chess set. His legendary success against the Russian chess empire in the following two decades inspired interest in the game among America’s youth. Chess matches between the U.S. and Russia became proxy battles – in the minds of the public, not the players – during the Cold War. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Bobby Fischer’s chess matches against the Russians were proxy battles in the Cold War

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die