Ann S. Epstein Writer

Doctor Washington Sheffield, an American dental surgeon, was 65 when he pioneered the idea of putting toothpaste in a collapsible tube in 1892. Colgate adopted Sheffield’s packaging in 1896. The doctor made other important contributions to dentistry and dental surgery, creating companies to market them. His toothpaste recipe is still packaged and sold as “Dr. Sheffield’s: The Original Toothpaste.” Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Thank a 65-year-old doctor for toothpaste in a tube

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Bobby Fischer was 14 when he became the youngest U.S. Chess Champion in 1957. He began playing at age 6, when his older sister Joan bought him his first chess set. His legendary success against the Russian chess empire in the following two decades inspired interest in the game among America’s youth. Chess matches between the U.S. and Russia became proxy battles – in the minds of the public, not the players – during the Cold War. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Bobby Fischer’s chess matches against the Russians were proxy battles in the Cold War

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Ray Kroc was 52 when he masterminded the McDonald’s franchise. Born in 1902, he spent 17 years selling paper cups and another 17 peddling the Multimixer which made 5 milkshakes at once. Brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald, who owned hamburger joints in CA and AZ, bought ten. Kroc suggested they franchise their operation and volunteered to manage it. Seven years later, he bought them out. Sales soared. Today’s global total is estimated at over 400 billion, with 75 burgers sold per second. Kroc remained involved in McDonald’s until his death in 1984. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Entrepreneurship is not reserved for the young; Ray Croc masterminded McDonald’s at age 52

Toto the dog was 5 years old when The Wizard of Oz was released in 1939. She was played by a female Cairn Terrier whose original name was Terry but was changed to Toto three years later. She did her own stunts and when a Winkie guard accidentally stepped on her paw, she recuperated at Judy Garland’s house. Garland became attached to her and offered to buy the dog but the owner refused to sell it. Toto’s salary of $125 per week was reportedly more than the Munchkins were paid. Before her death at age 11, Toto made 23 films. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Toto, age 5 when Oz movie made, lived to 11 and made 23 films

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Laura Ingalls Wilder was 64 when she published her first “Little House” book in 1932. A teacher at age 15, she married Almanzo Wilder at 18 and wrote articles on farming and rural life, becoming the poultry editor of the St. Louis Star. After her daughter encouraged her mother to tell the story of her own pioneer childhood, Wilder began the series with Little House in the Big Woods and ended 12 years later with These Happy Golden Years when the author was 76. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Laura Ingalls Wilder captivated children with tales of her own pioneer childhood

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Karl Witte got his doctorate at age 13, making him the youngest person to earn this degree. Born in July 1800 to a German pastor who encouraged learning, Witte spoke German, French, Italian, Latin, and Greek by the age of 9. He attended the University of Giessen, where he graduated with a PhD, but his life thereafter is clouded in mystery. He reportedly traveled through Italy in 1818 and unsuccessfully sought work as a lawyer, but he did become known as a scholar of the works of Dante. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Dr. Witte was awarded a PhD at age 13, a Guinness record

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

At 108 and 107, Lyle and Eleanor Gittens are the world’s oldest living married couple. They met at Clark Atlanta University, where Lyle whispered to Eleanor that she was his “SP” (college code for “Secret Passion”), and married on June 4, 1942. Asked how they stayed married so long, Lyle credits “Mutual love and support” and Eleanor adds, “You have to like the other person, not just love them.” Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Liking, not just loving, each other since 1942

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die