The first irrational number discovered was the square root of 2, by Hippasus of Metapontum (then part of Magna Graecia, southern Italy) around 500 BC. A student of the great mathematician Pythagoras, Hippasus proved that ‘root two’ could never be expressed as a fraction. Little is known about the secretive Pythagoras and his students, but history suggests that Pythagoras was so enraged by this threat to his concept of perfection in numbers that he ordered Hippasus to be executed by drowning. Only after Pythagoras’ death
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The oldest surviving love poem is written in a clay tablet from the times of the Sumerians, inventors of writing around 3500 BD, and was called by archaeologists by a very un-romantic name: ‘Istanbul #2461’. The author is unknown but is believed to have been recited by a bride of Sumerian King Shu-Sin, who ruled between 2037 and 2029 BC. The following is the start of the poem: Bridegroom, dear to my heart, Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet, Lion, dear to my heart, Goodly is
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The oldest living rabbit is ‘Do'(USA), a Jersey Wooley owned by Jenna Antol, New Jersey, USA. He was born on 01 January 1996, and turned 16 years 1 month and 14 days old, on 15 February, 2012. He is now blind due to advanced cateracts in both eyes, but is still happy and has a good quality of life.
Henry Allingham, Britain’s oldest man and George Francis, America’s oldest man were both born on 6 June 1896. The oldest ever people to share a birthday were Camille Loiseau (France) and Toyo Endo (Japan), both of whom were born on 13 February 1892; Toyo died first, just 40 days shy of 113.
Herbert Brown (USA, b. Braun 15 March 1900) married Magda Fritz (USA, b. 14 November 1904) on 19 October 1930. They took the record on 9 June 2005, when they had been married for 74 years, aged 105 years 86 days and 100 years 207 days – an aggregate age of 205 years 293 days. They currently reside at Levittown, Pennsylvania, USA
The world’s oldest living male grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) is Magnus, who was born in 1963 and lived at Edinburgh Zoo, UK, until 1999 when he moved to The National Seal Sanctuary, Gweek, Cornwall, UK. Magnus weighs approximately 210 kg (460 lb) and although the precise date of birth is not known, he is likely to have been born in October/November.
Radiocarbon dating of a 13-foot-tall (4 metres) spruce tree in Sweden has revealed that its root system has been growing for 9,550 years. From National Geographic: “The researchers found the shrubby mountain survivor at an altitude of 2,985 feet (910 meters) in Dalarna Province.” The results of the dating were announced in April 2008. This tree’s age is related to vegetative cloning. Virtually all types of shoots and roots are capable of vegetative propagation. In this case, 9,550-year-old roots were able to generate a new
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The oldest written records for a Masonic lodge belong to Aitchison’s Haven kn Muddelburgh, UK. They date back to 9 Jan 1599. The oldest written records for a Masonic lodge that is still in existence today are from The Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel), No 1, Uk. They date back to 31 July 1599.
Karl Dølven (Norway, b. 31 August 1897) married Gudrun Haug (Norway, b. 14 October 1900) at Hole, Norway, on 4 June 1927. They remained married until Gudrun’s death on 24 April 2004. At this time Gudrun was aged 103 years 193 days and Karl was 106 years 237 days – an aggregate age of 210 years 65 days .
The oldest couple to run a marathon were Shigetsugu Anan (Japan) aged 83 yr 11 days and his wife Miyoko Anan (Japan) 78 yr 71 days at the Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon, Japan, on 13 January 2008. They ran as a couple side by side finishing together in 7 hr 36 min 22 sec.