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

Nils Bohlin was 38 when he designed the harness seat belt in 1958. He was working for Volvo when he came up with the seat belt model that has saved millions of lives. Lap belts had been around for nearly a century, but his three-point system (shoulder, chest, and lap) was a major improvement. After some initial resistance from drivers who resented being told what to do, even for their own good, Bohlin’s seat belt became standard equipment around the world. 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.

Harness belt more effective than lap belt at preventing injuries and saving lives

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

Judy Garland was 16 when she was cast as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz, 17 when the movie was released in 1939. Born Frances Ethel Gumm into a vaudeville family, she began performing at age two with her older sisters. At 12, she signed with MGM, where she made 27 of her 34 films. Her long career earned Garland an Academy Award, two Grammys, and a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Her personal life was a struggle however, and she died of an accidental overdose at 47. 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.

The iconic singer-actress was successful on screen but troubled in life

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

Henry Dunant was 73 when he won the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. Appalled at the suffering he witnessed during the Second Italian War of Independence, he published a book, A Memory of Solferino, and proposed that the nations of the world form their own relief societies to care for the wounded and train volunteers to treat them. Dunant helped to found the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863, at age 35, and launch the first Geneva Convention in 1864, which has since saved the lives of millions of soldiers worldwide. 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.

First Nobel Peace Prize winner helped found International Red Cross

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

Charles Feltman, age 30, is credited with inventing the hot dog on a bun in 1871. After a modest beginning selling sausages from a pushcart, the German-American went on to establish a large restaurant complex on Brooklyn’s Coney Island that included a beer garden and carousel, and served millions of customers annually. Nathan’s hot dog stand, which sold nickel franks on the boardwalk, was opened in 1916, 45 years later, by Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker, who originally worked for Feltman. 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.

30-year-old Charles Feltman invented hot dog on a bun in Coney Island 45 years before Nathan’s opened

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

In 2002, Aiden Byrne at age 22, was the youngest chef to earn a Michelin star, while working at Adlards restaurant in Norwich, England. Since then, he’s run his own ventures and cooked at other noted restaurants across the UK. Byrne refuses to be pigeon holed, but says be cooks with British, seasonal produce in the classical way he’s been trained. He does admit to a favorite ingredient — globe artichokes — which can be “robust and delicate at the same time.” 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.

The youngest Michelin-starred chef is a fan of globe artichokes

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

At 110 (1914-2024), Australian Eileen Kramer was the oldest person to still dance professionally. She choreographed her graceful, dramatic movements to increasingly use the top half of her body. In addition to dancing, Kramer wrote a story a day and painted. She disliked the word “old,” claiming “My attitude to creating things is identical to when I was a child.” 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.

Oldest professional dancer as well as writer and painter

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

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