Since its inception in 1951, Guinness World Records has crowned some truly strange world records. It has identified the most toilet seats broken by the head in one minute (44). It has determined the longest eyelashes on a dog (6.69 inches), and the largest collection of garden gnomes (2,010). It has even given us the most canned drinks opened by a parrot in one minute (35). For all the ridiculous feats Guinness oversees, however, the organization also keeps track of some fairly important accomplishments. Last Friday, for example, it crowned the world’s oldest man.
This title was given to Yisrael Kristal, who lives in the beautiful port city of Haifa, Israel, and clocks in at a whopping 112 years old. While his longevity it certainly worth celebrating, however, his record-breaking life has been marred by tragedy.
Born near Zarnow, Poland on September 15, 1903, Kristal lived through both World Wars. During these turbulent times, he lost his two children in the German occupation of Poland, and later, his wife in the infamous Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz, which he miraculously survived. In 1950, he moved to Haifa, where he has live ever since.
So, what is the secret to his longevity?
“I don’t know the secret for long life,” Kristal told record-keepers in Haifa. “There have been smarter, stronger and better looking men then me who are no longer alive. All that is left for us to do is to keep on working as hard as we can and rebuild what is lost.” Wise words from the world’s oldest man.
Kristal will turn 113 this September, but is still several years shy of being the world’s oldest person. That title belongs to Susannah Mushatt Jones, who lives in Brooklyn, New York and is nearly 117 years old.
