Posted on 01/20/2005 4:13:35 AM PST by cll
The oldest man in the world is from Puerto Rico, the Guiness Book of World Records has reported. Emiliano Mercado del Toro officially became the world's oldest living man on Monday, at the age of 113 years, 149 days.
He was born August 21, 1891, in the southwest town of Cabo Rojo. Mercado now lives in Isabela on the island's northwest coast.
He is also the oldest living veteran, London-based Guiness said. He didn't see action because, called up in 1918, he was two months into U.S. Army training when World War I ended November 11, 1918.
Mercado was born while Puerto Rico was still part of the Spanish empire. He was born the same year Thomas Edison patented the radio, an earthquake killed 25,000 people in Japan and Supreme Chief Justice Earl Warren, songwriter Cole Porter, Dominican dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo and writer Henry Miller were born.
Mercado replaces Fred Hale Sr., who had been the world's oldest man. Hale died in his sleep on November 19. He was 113 years old.
Way too cool.
Poor, Fred. Died and lost his title all in the same day.
Link?
Too bad he can't go to the U. S. Naval Station Roosevelt Roads Commissary or Exchange anymore.
Got it from an actual paper newspaper. The San Juan Star has no website with content.
Even if the Navy Exchange and Commissary at Rosey were open, I doubt he or anyone would travel 100 miles to shop there. Different ends of the island. He can just hop over to the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station next door, or at any of the dozens of AAFES outlets around the island.
I've never heard that before. I thought Marconi got the credit for this?
I copied it verbatim from the newspaper article. I think Marconi indeed invented the radio, or made the first successful trans-atlantic transmission, or something. As to patenting it in the U.S., I'll check it out.
What they mean is the oldest documented living person. There may be older people but with no documentation that is considered reliable most claims are dismissed.
thank you.
Especially people from that era. The Spaniards relied on the Catholic church for this type of record keeping. When parents took their children to be baptized, the priest would ask the birth date, and that's how the person's record got started.
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