Tag: How old were the people who did noteworthy things?

Ray Kroc was 52 when he masterminded the McDonald’s franchise. Born in 1902, he spent 17 years selling paper cups and another 17 peddling the Multimixer which made 5 milkshakes at once. Brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald, who owned hamburger joints in CA and AZ, bought ten. Kroc suggested they franchise their operation and volunteered to manage it. Seven years later, he bought them out. Sales soared. Today’s global total is estimated at over 400 billion, with 75 burgers sold per second. Kroc remained involved in McDonald’s until his death in 1984. 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.

Entrepreneurship is not reserved for the young; Ray Croc masterminded McDonald’s at age 52

Toto the dog was 5 years old when The Wizard of Oz was released in 1939. She was played by a female Cairn Terrier whose original name was Terry but was changed to Toto three years later. She did her own stunts and when a Winkie guard accidentally stepped on her paw, she recuperated at Judy Garland’s house. Garland became attached to her and offered to buy the dog but the owner refused to sell it. Toto’s salary of $125 per week was reportedly more than the Munchkins were paid. Before her death at age 11, Toto made 23 films. 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.

Toto, age 5 when Oz movie made, lived to 11 and made 23 films

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

Laura Ingalls Wilder was 64 when she published her first “Little House” book in 1932. A teacher at age 15, she married Almanzo Wilder at 18 and wrote articles on farming and rural life, becoming the poultry editor of the St. Louis Star. After her daughter encouraged her mother to tell the story of her own pioneer childhood, Wilder began the series with Little House in the Big Woods and ended 12 years later with These Happy Golden Years when the author was 76. 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.

Laura Ingalls Wilder captivated children with tales of her own pioneer childhood

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

Karl Witte got his doctorate at age 13, making him the youngest person to earn this degree. Born in July 1800 to a German pastor who encouraged learning, Witte spoke German, French, Italian, Latin, and Greek by the age of 9. He attended the University of Giessen, where he graduated with a PhD, but his life thereafter is clouded in mystery. He reportedly traveled through Italy in 1818 and unsuccessfully sought work as a lawyer, but he did become known as a scholar of the works of Dante. 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.

Dr. Witte was awarded a PhD at age 13, a Guinness record

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

At 108 and 107, Lyle and Eleanor Gittens are the world’s oldest living married couple. They met at Clark Atlanta University, where Lyle whispered to Eleanor that she was his “SP” (college code for “Secret Passion”), and married on June 4, 1942. Asked how they stayed married so long, Lyle credits “Mutual love and support” and Eleanor adds, “You have to like the other person, not just love them.” 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.

Liking, not just loving, each other since 1942

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

P. T. Barnum was 60 years old when he started his first traveling circus in 1871. He collaborated with W.C. Coup & Dan Castello to create “P. T. Barnum’s Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Hippodrome,” which eventually became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. In addition to being a showman, Barnum served two terms in the Connecticut legislature and was mayor of Bridgeport. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

P. T. Barnum was an entertainment and political showman

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

Balamurali Ambati was 17 when he became the world’s youngest doctor. Born 29 July 1977 in India, his family moved to Buffalo, New York when he was three where, according to his parents, he was doing calculus at age four. Ambati began his medical studies at New York University’s School of Medicine at age 14 and three years later became a licensed physician, specializing in ophthalmology. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

The “eyes” have it: World’s youngest doctor trained as an ophthalmologist

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

Australian James Harrison retired as a blood donor at age 77, after 1,173 donations, a Guinness world record. He’s credited with saving the lives of over 2.4 million babies. Known as the Man With The Golden Arm, James’s blood produces a rare antibody which cures the otherwise fatal Rhesus disease in unborn children. His blood has also been used in the development of a medicine, known as anti-D, which, it is hoped, will banish the Rhesus disease in children forever. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

James Harrison, Man with the Golden Arm, blood donor to millions

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

Mario Andretti began racing at 13. Born in Italy in 1940, he entered his first auto race when his family was living in a refugee camp during WW2. His love of racing accelerated after his family moved to the U.S. in 1955, where he made his professional debut. Andretti went on to win numerous Formula One, Indianapolis and Daytona 500, and Grand Prix titles. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Mario Andretti began racing at age 13 in a refugee camp during WWII

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

A. A. Milne was 33 years old when he created the fictional teddy bear Winnie the Pooh, which today celebrates the 100th anniversary of its 12/24/1925 publication as a children’s story in London’s Evening News. “Winnie” is named for a stuffed bear Milne had bought his son, Christopher Robin, at Harrod’s Department Store, and a bear they’d seen at the London Zoo. Milne went on to publish four volumes of Pooh books, all illustrated by E. H. Shepard. Milne explains the name in the first’s book’s opening chapter: “His arms were so stiff … they stayed up straight in the air for more than a week, and whenever a fly came and settled on his nose he had to blow it off. And I think – but I am not sure – that is why he is always called Pooh.” Proud of the books when he was young, the real Christopher Robin came to resent his father for exploiting his childhood. 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.

Winnie the Pooh has been translated into many languages, including Latin

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