# Dead at your age **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 25, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773 "2009-03-25T18:36:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/21 "2009-03-25T21:34:14Z")
You’ve outlived Franz Kafka by one day. He was an existentialist author of the absurdist “Metamorphosis” (1915) and satires such as “The Trial” (1925). He died of tuberculosis on June 3, 1924, 44 years before you were born. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/22 "2009-03-25T21:41:10Z")
I’ve been thinking about this a lot this year, since I’m 27. I am now, or am about to be very soon, older than a lot of the great musicians I grew up listening to. Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin (passed her 2 days ago), Jimi Hendrix . . . and I’m already a couple _years_ older than Biggie and Tupac. That is really weird to me. Next year or so, I’ll be older than Bradley Nowell. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/23 "2009-03-25T21:56:26Z")
You’ve outlived Francis Scobee by two days. He was a combat aviator in the Vietnam War and astronaut who served on two Challenger space shuttle missions. He died in a space shuttle explosion on January 28, 1986, when you were 23 years old. I can’t even get a decent celebrity, dead. Bah. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/24 "2009-03-25T22:00:47Z")
There were only four on my list, the most famous of whom was Henry David Thoreau. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/25 "2009-03-25T22:02:45Z")
Hee. I have lived exactly half the life of William Rehnquist! ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/26 "2009-03-25T22:09:39Z")
> [@](#): > > If you are 49 years and 207 days old today… > > You’ve outlived Davy Crockett by a week. He was **an US representative** from Tennessee, frontiersman and soldier at the Battle of the Alamo. He died of injuries sustained in battle on March 6, 1836, 124 years before you were born. \Anus representative?\ Seriously, since US is pronounced “yoo-ess” and not “us”, that should read “a US representative”. > [@](#): > > In 4 days, when you reach 49 years and 211 days of age, your lifespan will surpass that of an African-American tennis star ranked No. 1 in the world in 1975. Hmmm, could that be Arthur Ashe? > [@](#): > > Lester Young was almost two weeks younger than you when he died of cirrhosis of the liver on March 15, 1959. He was a legendary tenor saxophonist who worked with the Count Basie Orchestra, Billie Holiday and more. He died **1 year before** you were born. Five and a half months is closer to “0 years” than to “1 year”, no? ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/27 "2009-03-25T22:19:06Z")
> [@](#): > > You’ve outlived Theodor Escherich by one day. He was a German pediatrician who discovered E. coli bacteria. He died on February 15, 1911, 45 years before you were born. > Enrico Fermi was about two weeks younger than you when he died of stomach cancer on November 28, 1954. He was a physicist who created the first controlled nuclear chain reaction and first nuclear-power plant. He died 2 years before you were born. Pity the name of E. coli was changed seven years after Theodor died. Yes, I did have to google him. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/28 "2009-03-25T22:39:03Z")
E. coli isn’t called E. coli anymore? Why? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/29 "2009-03-25T22:50:22Z")
As Tom Lehrer said: > [@](#): > > It is a sobering thought that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years. Although, in my case, he’s been dead for 15 years… ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/30 "2009-03-25T23:00:01Z")
Holy crap! Harvey Milk, to the day! (I live in SF) Within 2 weeks: Friedrich Schiller (Weimar Theatre), René Laënnec (invented stethoscope), Melville Bissell (invented carpet sweeper), and Alexander Godunov (dancer, duh!) ---
**Author:** ![Giltathriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b38774/32.png) [@Giltathriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giltathriel)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/31 "2009-03-25T23:02:01Z")
I’ve outlived James Dean by two weeks. Geez, I knew he died young, but not this young. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/32 "2009-03-25T23:39:29Z")
Here’s my guy – never heard of him: > [@](#): > > At your exact age, Marquis de Condorcet died in mysterious circumstances. He was an Enlightenment philosopher who developed the Condorcet method for single-winner elections ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/33 "2009-03-26T00:04:46Z")
Well, I outlived Jesus and Alexander the Great by 3 years. So SUCK IT! ---
**Author:** ![Pocito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@Pocito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pocito)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/34 "2009-03-26T00:30:46Z")
“At your exact age, Ivan V died. He was a physically and mentally disabled nominal co-Tsar of Russia (1682-96).” That’s…um…special? ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/35 "2009-03-26T00:40:03Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > E. coli isn’t called E. coli anymore? Why? I believe you misunderstood the tone of **Yllaria** ’s post – I took it to be an expression of pity that the bacterium wasn’t dubbed _Escherichia coli_ until Theodor was already dead. Kind of like making the Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously and thus never having the opportunity to attend your induction ceremony. ---
**Author:** ![Critical\_Mass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Critical\_Mass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical_Mass)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/36 "2009-03-26T01:53:00Z")
There’s no one interesting that I’ve outlived or anything. But I found out I’ve been alive for 14,998 days. That’s cool! Now I feel like celebrating something on Friday. I wonder if someone will get me a card. Hallmark makes cards for all the big birthdays don’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/37 "2009-03-26T02:15:11Z")
So far I’ve beaten Beethoven by about 4 months and Lincoln by 6 months. Proving again what a waste my life has been. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/38 "2009-03-26T02:43:25Z")
> [@Minnie\_Luna](#): > > You’ve outlived Bruce Lee by one day. He was a martial-arts expert and star of “Enter the Dragon” who died mysteriously in 1973. He died of a cerebral edema on July 20, 1973, 4 years before you were born. I’m not getting this. How do you outlive by one day someone who died four years before you were born? Likewise, for me: [QUOTE=Dead at Your Age] You’ve outlived Rod Serling by almost a week. He was a creator of TV’s “The Twilight Zone” and other science-fiction shows and films. He died of a complications of open-heart surgery on June 28, 1975, when you were 16 years old. [/QUOTE] I was indeed 16 in 1975, but I was born in September, so how does this equate to me having outlived Rod Serling, who died in June, by almost a week? ETA: I might be getting it. So Rod Serling’s birthday was Sept. 9-ish? ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/39 "2009-03-26T02:49:35Z")
You’ve outlived Althea Flynt by almost a week. She was a pornographer Larry Flynt’s fourth wife and co-publisher of “Hustler” magazine. She died by drowning after an overdose on June 27, 1987, when you were 11 years old. ~ awesome. I love porn. Kiss my ass, six degrees. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773/40 "2009-03-26T03:54:02Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > I’m not getting this. How do you outlive by one day someone who died four years before you were born? > > Likewise, for me: > I was indeed 16 in 1975, but I was born in September, so how does this equate to me having outlived Rod Serling, who died in June, by almost a week? > > ETA: I might be getting it. So Rod Serling’s birthday was Sept. 9-ish? When they say that you’ve outlived Bruce Lee by one day, they mean that you’re now one day older than Bruce Lee was when he died. The fact that he died before you are born is just an extra piece of information they throw in, for no particular reason that I see. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-at-your-age/490773.md?page=3)