Hint
|
Age
|
Died
|
Answer
|
The oldest person in the Bible
|
969
|
?
|
Methuselah
|
Children's author who wrote "Ramona the Pest"
|
104
|
2021
|
Beverly Cleary
|
Star of "Spartacus", his son Michael is quite old himself
|
103
|
2020
|
Kirk Douglas
|
The last Pinta Island tortoise in existence
|
102
|
2012
|
Lonesome George
|
Songwriter who wrote "White Christmas" and "Cheek to Cheek"
|
101
|
1989
|
Irving Berlin
|
He hosted the Oscars a record 19 times
|
100
|
2003
|
Bob Hope
|
This cigar-smoking comedian, husband of Gracie Allen, was famous for being old
|
100
|
1996
|
George Burns
|
His official title was Duke of Edinburgh
|
99
|
2021
|
Prince Philip
|
She was already considered old in 1985 as one of "The Golden Girls"
|
99
|
2021
|
Betty White
|
Credited as the oldest person in history, some people (including me) believe that she stole her mother's identity
|
122 / 99
|
1997
|
Jeanne Calment
|
Technically speaking, she ruled 16 countries in the British Commonwealth
|
96
|
2022
|
Queen Elizabeth II
|
In 1962, this crooner left his heart in San Francisco. In 2014, he danced cheek to cheek with Lady Gaga.
|
96
|
2023
|
Tony Bennett
|
Zimbabwean dictator who proved the adage "the good die young"
|
95
|
2019
|
Robert Mugabe
|
First black leader of South Africa
|
95
|
2013
|
Nelson Mandela
|
History's pre-eminent Cubist painter
|
91
|
1973
|
Pablo Picasso
|
Great Egyptian pharaoh also known as "Ozymandias"
|
90
|
1213 B.C.
|
Ramses II
|
He's been ex-President since 1980, longer than any person in history
|
b. 1924
|
alive
|
Jimmy Carter
|
Narrator of "Planet Earth", younger brother of director Richard
|
b. 1926
|
alive
|
David Attenborough
|
Director of "The Producers", "Blazing Saddles", and "Spaceballs"
|
b. 1926
|
alive
|
Mel Brooks
|
With roles in "Gran Torino", "In the Line of Fire", and "The Mule", he's starred as the old guy for quite some time
|
b. 1930
|
alive
|
Clint Eastwood
|
Let's do a thought experiment. I say "think of a number between 1 and a billion". You say 376,452,125. And I say "wow, that's exactly the number I was thinking of". Which of these two scenarios is more likely?
a) We thought of the exact same number
b) The quizmaster is lying
Now realize how incredibly unlikely it is for one person to live so much longer than anyone else. The burden of proof is not on the people who point out the many flaws in Ms. Calment's story, it is on the people who claim that she lived to such an old age.
Gerontologists agree that the odds of supercentenarians making it to their next birthday drops to 1 in 2 (https://news.berkeley.edu/2018/06/28/supercentenarians/). I.e. One in two will make it to 111, 1/4 will make it to 112, 1/8 to 113, and so on. Extrapolating from this, once Calment made it to 110, her odds of making it to 122 was 1/4096. Therefore, if we’ve had 4096 supercentenarians, the odds of one of them getting to 122 become really good. The Gerontology Research Group has been able to accurately verify 1739 the existence supercentenarians (https://grg.org/Adams/A.HTM), although there would be more, since the list was last updated in 2015. Using the above information, the odds of at least one of the people on the list making it to 122 is 1739/4096, or 42.5%, a far cry from one in a billion.
Those interested in a deep dive can use this article to make up their minds: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/02/17/was-jeanne-calment-the-oldest-person-who-ever-lived-or-a-fraud
Beyond childhood, the odds of surviving the next year decrease each year.
For example, the odds I survive the next year are well over 99%. But the odds of a 100 year old surviving the next year fall a lot.
Why would this process suddenly stop at age 110? Surely if the odds of a 110 year old surviving the next year are 50%, then the odds of a 115 year old surviving are much lower.
Technically speaking, she absolutely doesn't "rule" the Commonwealth. She is the figurehead (or "Head") of the Commonwealth, a purely symbolic role that has no element of "ruling". She also serves as constitutional monarch, i.e. head of state with no executive power (and not head of government), of 16 Commonwealth Realms, but not of the the other 38 Commonwealth countries.
Also technically speaking, the Commonwealth has not been described as British since the 1940s. It is more than 98% non-British, in fact, and its full name is the Commonwealth of Nations. I don't know why JetPunk insists on getting this wrong in several quizzes, when normally it makes a virtue (a fetish, some might say) of technical accuracy.
Your point is taken that Elizabeth is not head of state of all commonwealth countries. The quiz has been amended.
And while she is "merely" a ceremonial leader you should know that her legal powers are far from ceremonial, although what exactly would happen if she exercised them is an open question.
Also add Vera Lynn to the Quiz!
I’m surprised that Niemeyer isn’t here... really.
Lillian Gish (silent film actress) 1893-1993 - aged 99
Renee Simonot (actress and mother of Catherine Deneuve) b. 1911 and still living
Angela Landsbury (actress) b. 1925 and still living
George Schultz (Secretary of State under Reagan) b. 1920 and still living
Norman Lear (TV producer) b.1922 and still living
Kane Tanaka (world's oldest verified living person) b. 1903 and still living
Bob Barker (Price is Right) b. 1923 and still living
But one of the hints was related with a tortoise. I think that this is a mistake.
RIP Prince Philip
RIP Betty White