Today.Az » Weird / Interesting » World's second-oldest man joins majority at 113
27 May 2013 [15:30] - Today.Az
Do 41,363 days sound like much time? You very likely won't live that long, but James Sisnett did.
That's long enough to have seen the first silent movie, when it came out, provided a movie theater even existed back then on the island of Barbados, where Sisnett spent his life.
He was three years old the first time Orville Wright took the first ever flight in an airplane and barely a teenager when World War I broke out.
When he died Thursday, Sisnett was the oldest man in the Western Hemisphere, whose age had been validated, according to the Gerontology Research Group. He was likely the second oldest man on the planet.
GRG is a private organization that verifies the ages of centenarians, people over 100 years of age, and supercentenarians, people over 110.
Living as long as Sisnett did is quite a feat, but since women outlive men on the whole, there are a few women still alive between Canada and Argentina, who are even older than he was, according to GRG.
Five of them live in the United States.
The verified oldest living person in the world is Jiroemon Kimura of Japan. He turned 116 in April, GRG said.
The oldest person who ever lived was Louise Calment of France, a woman who topped 122 years, the Guinness Book of World Records reports.
On the island of Barbados, which is less than 30 miles long, Sisnett was a celebrity, family member Gerard Sisnett told CNN.
He was considered a living reference for historic events there, where he was known under the nickname "Grandad." As a symbol of honor, he was given the keys to the capital of Bridgetown when he turned 100. That was well over a decade ago.
The government may make the national stadium available for his funeral, Gerard Sisnett said.
James Sisnett was born in the last year of the 19th century, on February 22, 1900, and was 113 years and 90 days old, when he passed away in his sleep, Gerard Sisnett said. That's 41,363 days, including 28 extra days for leap years.
Originally a blacksmith by trade, Grandad retired in 1970.
He was about 70 years of age then. That's nearly three years more than the average lifespan in the United States.
Seventy years add up to 25,550 days, not including extra days from leap years.
Seize one, while you can.
/CNN/
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