John Alfred Tinniswood, a 111-year-old man from England, has officially claimed the title of the world’s oldest living man. Despite his advanced age, he can not only perform most of his tasks unassisted, but he can also manage his own finances.
The centenarian was born in Liverpool on Aug. 26, 1912, the same year the Titanic sank. He has lived through a plethora of world-changing events—including two world wars.
At the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Tinniswood was 27. Despite having issues with his eyesight, he supported the Army and did administrative work along with tasks such as accounting, auditing, locating stranded soldiers, and organizing food supplies for them. He would go on to be named the oldest surviving male World War II veteran in the world.
After the war, Mr. Tinniswood had a career in accounting that spanned decades, working for companies such as BP and Shell. In 1942, he tied the knot with Blowden Tinniswood, whom he met at a dance in Liverpool. A year later the couple welcomed their daughter, Susan.
In 1972, Mr. Tinniswood hung up his boots.
After 44 years of marital bliss, he lost his wife in 1986.
In 2012, Mr. Tinniswood celebrated his 100th birthday, for which he received a card from the late Queen Elizabeth II. She would go on to send him birthday greetings each year until she passed.
Mr. Tinniswood has been a lifelong Liverpool FC fan and has lived for eight of his club’s FA Cup wins and 17 of their 19 league title wins.
Today, Mr. Tinniswood is a grandfather to four and a great-grandfather to three. He lives at a care home in Southport, where the staff affectionately call him “a big chatterbox.” He leads an active life, stays up-to-date with the news, and manages his own finances.
Despite having the honor of being the world’s oldest living man, Mr. Tinniswood does not think of his new title as anything special.
What is his secret to a long life? He said it was a matter of luck. “You either live long or you live short, and you can’t do much about it.”
Although Mr. Tinniswood does not adhere to a specific diet, he does not smoke and drinks little alcohol.
He had some candid advice for optimum health.
“If you drink too much, or you eat too much, or you walk too much; if you do too much of anything, you’re going to suffer eventually,” he said.
Sharing his advice for the younger generation, he said: “Always do the best you can, whether you’re learning something or whether you’re teaching someone. Give it all you’ve got. Otherwise, it’s not worth bothering with.”
