When a 116-year-old woman died this week, Jeralean Talley of Michigan became the oldest woman alive at 115. She says the secret is being nice to people. She watches a lot of TV, loves chicken nuggets and Wendy's chili. She lived by herself for three decades. She hits the slots once in a while, fishes twice a year, bowled until she was 104 and mowed her lawn until she was 108. Here's what life was like when she was born in 1899-1900:

Most countries were still ruled by a king or emperor. Motion-picture cameras existed but "movies" did not. The entire world only had 1.64 billion people.

  • Tootsie Rolls were brand new

  • First American hamburger is sold

  • Lincoln was not yet on the penny

  • Sherlock Holme's books were still new

  • Teddy Bears weren't invented yet

  • Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" wasn't written yet

  • China was ruled by an Empress

  • France conquers Chad in northern Africa

  • Russia owned the top of China

  • People though zeppelins were the travel of the future

  • 2nd to last King of Italy died

  • Queen Elizabeth's mother born

  • U.S. conquers Phillipines

  • Quantum physics invented

  • Popular "Brownie" camera first sold

  • William McKinley was president

  • Movies didn't exist yet

  • The Panama Canal didn't exist

  • Engine-propelled air travel is still a mystery

  • Horses were still the most common form of transportation

  • H.G. Wells's "War of the Worlds" was only two years old

  • Bram Stoker's "Dracula" was only 3 years old

  • Art Nouveau is popular

  • Russia is ruled by a Tzar

  • Queen Victoria was still on the throne

  • Surrealism was brand new

  • People held seances for fun

  • Electricity existed, but was not widespread

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