This year, one of the world’s oldest living people also celebrated his mid-life birthday.
Manuela Scharrenberger was born on Nov. 22, 1896 — the year Macy’s opened in New York City and the Silk Road opened up trade between Asia and Europe.
On Monday, the 104-year-old told German magazine Der Spiegel how he wants to see his birthday — which was the same day as his ninth wedding anniversary — go to his grave.
“We’re not celebrating,” Scharrenberger said. “I have no plans to celebrate. That’s all right with me.”
Scharrenberger had originally planned to skip a day on his eight previous birthdays.
“My wife wants me to go straight to bed. But I want to be awake and having a party before I go to sleep,” he said.
There was a time, however, when Scharrenberger thought his birthday would turn out to be “very simple.”
“To be honest, I expected life to be over by the time I was 20 years old. Because back then there was no hope for young people,” he said.
Scharrenberger said his father died as a “young man” and his mother died during childbirth.
Her grandson, Steinberth Scharrenberger, said his grandmother is not being modest when she claims he’s the world’s oldest living person.
“I was a baby when she was born. My grandmother is aging a little bit like a dam,” Scharrenberger told the tabloid Bild.
“I have been an old lady all my life.”
Rashid, who is believed to be the oldest living person with verified papers in the world, died at the age of 117 in October in Iran.
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