A life long lived...

[icowden]

I was thinking about my Grandma the other day. She passed away peacefully in her sleep a few months ago aged 103. Born in 1919, her single life span covers:

• The motorcar becoming mainstream in the UK
• Women finally getting equal voting rights at the age of 18
• The invention of the Hairdryer, the Aga, Hearing Aids, Insulin, Frozen food, Television, Toaster, the Aerosol spray, Talking movies, Penicillin, Colour TV, Artificial Life, the Jet Engine, Mechanical toothbrushes, sellotape, Parking meters, electronic instruments, sun tan lotion, the ball point pen, helicopters, aqualung, kidney dialysis, nuclear reactors (and bombs), the microwave, the bikini, the transistor radio, disposable nappies, the contraceptive pill, solar cells, the hovercraft, the polio vaccine, video games, the internet, kevlar, the portable calculator, the internet, cash dispensers, personal computers, IVF, MRI scanner, printers, personal stereos, contact lenses and so much more...
• She lived through a world war and landing a man on the moon
• She lived through 18 US presidents, 4 monarchs and 25 Prime Ministers

She was raised by Aunties and wanted to be an actress but post war qualified as a teacher and quickly became head of a school in Southport. She was hardly ever ill and never lost her marbles (only some of her sight, balance and hearing). It really is a remarkable span of life.

I'm not yet at half of her lifespan, and I can't help wondering what our future holds. I just hope that I get even vaguely close to living that long without things stopping working!

 

[wafter]

My paternal gran was very similar and died at 99 some years ago. That generation (or maybe their kids) have probably seen the ideal balance between humanity's achievements and follies. From here on I think it's all inflation, power cuts and budget fascism tbh

 

[Brains]

I think the most extreme age to have lived through recently would have been to have been born in the very early 1800's and for the sake of continuity had a child late in life, born in say the 1880's who then lived to the 1970's

In two lifespans you would have gone from Waterloo, a battle fought with cannon, muskets and horses, to the rise of the industrial revolution, steam power, the bicycle, the car, telegraph, telephone, flight, radio, electricity, two world wars, nuclear war, TV, man on the moon and computers.

You could still be living in the same house all along.

 

[Dirk]

My paternal grandmother was born in 1883.
She was 30 years old when WW1 broke out.
I always found that difficult to get my head around.
She lived to be 93, dying in 1977, when I was 23. A lovely, bubbly woman who saw so many changes in her lifetime.

 

[T4tomo]

yeah My Grand did 1912-2018. Only spent the last two years in a nursing home, before that was living on her own for 40 years as a widow. she was still as sharp as a tack, but her eyes and body in general started to let her down.

She embraced the video recorder but never trusted microwaved food.

 

[biggs682]

My father who is still with us was born in 1929 and to hear him and mother re calling the things they went through over the years is amazing especially growing up in and around Coventry.
He can almost recall all the different cars and bikes he has had over the years.
His recollection of when his Claus Butler was stolen and recovered a few days later along with a garage full of other bikes that had all been painted black to disguise them , he was able to find his due to the fact he had a note of the frame number on his receipt and when he showed it to the policeman he couldn't believe people payed that much for a bike

 

[Lozz360]

I was thinking about my Grandma the other day. She passed away peacefully in her sleep a few months ago aged 103. Born in 1919, her single life span covers:

• The motorcar becoming mainstream in the UK
• Women finally getting equal voting rights at the age of 18
• The invention of the Hairdryer, the Aga, Hearing Aids, Insulin, Frozen food, Television, Toaster, the Aerosol spray, Talking movies, Penicillin, Colour TV, Artificial Life, the Jet Engine, Mechanical toothbrushes, sellotape, Parking meters, electronic instruments, sun tan lotion, the ball point pen, helicopters, aqualung, kidney dialysis, nuclear reactors (and bombs), the microwave, the bikini, the transistor radio, disposable nappies, the contraceptive pill, solar cells, the hovercraft, the polio vaccine, video games, the internet, kevlar, the portable calculator, the internet, cash dispensers, personal computers, IVF, MRI scanner, printers, personal stereos, contact lenses and so much more...
• She lived through a world war and landing a man on the moon
• She lived through 18 US presidents, 4 monarchs and 25 Prime Ministers

She was raised by Aunties and wanted to be an actress but post war qualified as a teacher and quickly became head of a school in Southport. She was hardly ever ill and never lost her marbles (only some of her sight, balance and hearing). It really is a remarkable span of life.

I'm not yet at half of her lifespan, and I can't help wondering what our future holds. I just hope that I get even vaguely close to living that long without things stopping working!

I was going to say your list missed out derailleur gears but Wikipedia tells us they were invented back in 1905.

You mentioned she was in Southport. It’s interesting that people who live to over a 100-years often live by the sea.

 

[Jameshow]

I was going to say your list missed out derailleur gears but Wikipedia tells us they were invented back in 1905.

You mentioned she was in Southport. It’s interesting that people who live to over a 100-years often live by the sea.

I'm moving to the sea!!

 

[Lozz360]

I think the most extreme age to have lived through recently would have been to have been born in the very early 1800's and for the sake of continuity had a child late in life, born in say the 1880's who then lived to the 1970's

In two lifespans you would have gone from Waterloo, a battle fought with cannon, muskets and horses, to the rise of the industrial revolution, steam power, the bicycle, the car, telegraph, telephone, flight, radio, electricity, two world wars, nuclear war, TV, man on the moon and computers.

You could still be living in the same house all along.

This post reminded me of a QI tv episode whereby it was stated that the USA government were still paying out pensions due to service in the American Civil War in 1865! The episode was broadcast in about 2011 IIRC. Apparently, it was policy for the US gov. to pay the children of civil war soldiers pensions. So a young soldier of, say 18 (some were younger) in 1865 would be 78 in 1925. He could then father a child who would be 86 in 2011 and entitled to a civil war pension. Apparently, there were a number of individuals in this situation in 2011.

 

[icowden]

You mentioned she was in Southport. It’s interesting that people who live to over a 100-years often live by the sea.

Yes. She also lived on a boat for a good part of her life. She and my grandad only got a Cottage (by the canal because of the boat) once she was expecting my mum. Most of my summer holidays were spent narrow boating for a couple of weeks with Granny and Grandad. She left the world of boats when my Grandad died of lung cancer at 65 (She always maintained it was from the chemicals and dust from the workshop - he taught wood and metal work at a boys reform school - most of us suspect it was his lifelong cigarette and cigar habit which may have been the key factor!).

 

[Lozz360]

I'm moving to the sea!!

Perhaps I should move away from UK’s most land locked county!

 

[PK99]

My paternal grandparents botjh died in the 1918 Flu Pandemic

My maternal grandparents were both dead, dunno what of*, when I was born in 1955.

* But mum was 42 when I was born, so they must have been well over 60

 

[fossyant]

Grandad died of lung cancer at 65 (She always maintained it was from the chemicals and dust from the workshop - he taught wood and metal work at a boys reform school - most of us suspect it was his lifelong cigarette and cigar habit which may have been the key factor!).

Same happened with fIL, but he was 79 before the ciggy's caught up. The family were still in denial about it saying he had worked with asbestos (small amounts if any as he made loudspeakers) - the 40 plus a day, oh no. Recently had the same in hospital with MIL - doctor asking, was she a smoker 'oh no never' said the family until I pointed out she lived with a chain smoker all her life.

The technological change has been incredible, especially how it's generally 'improved' people's lives - even indoor toilets !

 

[icowden]

The technological change has been incredible, especially how it's generally 'improved' people's lives - even indoor toilets !

God yes. I remember going to my other grans (in Blackpool) occasionally - she had an outside loo. She was a less fun gran (much older than my mum's mum I think she was in her 40s when she had my dad, whereas other gran was 25 when she had my mum - celebration of the end of the war baby!) - absolutely meticulous home, doilies everywhere, but she had a toybox, and you were allowed to play with the toys in the toybox in the room designated as children allowed in. She was a very neat, fastidious scot. My grandad on that side was significantly older than my gran so I never met him.

Another massive coincidence is that my gran was very good friends with her sister in law Beryl. She was the same age as my gran, and also lived to 103, although my gran would often say that she had lost her marbles.

 

[gbb]

I was going to say your list missed out derailleur gears but Wikipedia tells us they were invented back in 1905.

You mentioned she was in Southport. It’s interesting that people who live to over a 100-years often live by the sea.

Mid 2000s, we had an elderly guy come in to look after the works landscaping. He had an ancient (maybe 1950s) Raleigh bike (not racer) that had 3 speed derailleurs. He'd had it since new. I didn't know such things (3 speed dearilleurs) existed.