Age calculator by date of birth
Age is traditionally considered the duration of life from the moment of birth, with the unit of measurement being calendar years (365–366 days). Factors of physical development are not taken into account, and people of the same age can have different psychological and biological ages. Some "mature" as early as 14–16 years old, while others take 25–30 years to do so. In modern civilized society, people can remain "children" well into old age and mentally may not correspond to their biological age.
Lifespan of people in different historical periods
Until recently, there was a misconception that before the onset of industrialization (late 18th century), human lifespan was only 50–60% of today's figures. Thirty-year-olds were considered "old," and very few lived past 50 due to harsh working conditions, diseases, and poverty. In reality, this is not true, and recent studies show that this difference has been greatly exaggerated. In some historical periods, humans lived just as long (and sometimes even longer) than they do today.
The stone age
The lowest human lifespan occurred during the Stone Age when humanity was just beginning its journey toward civilization and had yet to create all the inventions that now help us survive and protect ourselves from negative environmental impacts. Even then, under the most "extreme" conditions, suffering from hunger, cold, and disease, humans could live to 40 years or older, as evidenced by archaeological excavations at Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon settlements.
Why does the official average age in the Stone Age amount to only 20 years? The reason lies in statistics, which included infant mortality. Less than half of all children survived to age five, but after reaching this milestone, a person could easily live to 30, 40, or even 50. The problem was that as people aged, it became increasingly difficult to obtain food, and they often died not from old age but from hunger and disease.
Ancient times
History tells us that in ancient times, the average lifespan was 30 years, but this is again nothing more than an "average hospital temperature." This low average figure is explained by high infant mortality, which was around 30%. However, if a child survived to at least 10–12 years old, they had every chance to leave this world as an elderly person. For example, in Ancient Rome, the draft age for men was 18–60, meaning that 60-year-old warriors were still quite capable, able to hold shields and swords, and make long marches—something far from possible for many of their modern counterparts.
Among the wealthy classes, life expectancy was even higher. Studies show that Pharaoh Neferkare Pepi II lived to 68 years old, while Ramses II reached 90. Pythagoras (Πυθαγόρας) died at the age of 75, Hippocrates (Ἱπποκράτης) at 90, and Xenophanes of Colophon (Ξενοφάνης ὁ Κολοφώνιος) at 95. How many men do we know who lived to such an age in the prosperous 21st century?
The middle ages
The average age of elites and commoners varied during different periods of the Middle Ages. Among the former, there were more centenarians due to more comfortable living conditions, a balanced diet, and access to medicine. Commoners typically died 10–15 years earlier than the rich but could also live to 60 or 70 years. Studies show that in 13th-century England, 65% of the population lived to age 10, 55% to 30, 30% to 50, and 7% to 70–75. If you exclude high infant mortality (up to age 10), these aren't bad numbers, comparable to many modern countries.
The lowest life expectancy in the Middle Ages occurred in the 14th century when the "Black Death" (plague) hit Europe. Compared to the 13th century, when most aristocrats lived to 64, this number dropped to 45 in the 14th century. By the 15th century, the figures returned to normal, and the average nobleman or count could live to 60–63 years. Commoners lived much less due to widespread unsanitary conditions, poverty, and hard physical labor.
Interesting facts
In different historical periods, people lived from 30 to 70 years, and some long-lived individuals reached 90 years. Regardless of overall life expectancy, aging begins from the moment of birth—at least according to many researchers. There is another version: maturation up to age 25, when all processes in the body increase, followed by gradual slowing and decline. Here are some interesting facts related to age:
- The youngest marathoner in the world was Budhia Singh (ବୁଦ୍ଧିଆ ସିଂହ), who ran the distance at the age of 3.
- The youngest university graduate was Michael Kearney, who received his bachelor's degree from the University of South Alabama at the age of 10.
- The youngest grandmother in the world was Mum-Zi—a 17-year-old Nigerian girl. At 8, she gave birth to a daughter, who in turn became a mother at 8.5 years old.
- In the last 100 years, puberty has decreased by 2 years for both boys and girls.
- The youngest dollar billionaire in 2007 was 23-year-old Mark Elliot Zuckerberg—the founder of Facebook.
- An adult human body contains about 100 trillion (10 to the 14th power) cells, of which about 100 billion die daily and are replaced by new ones. Over 7–10 years, not a single "old" cell remains in our bodies, and during this time they are completely "renewed."
To sum up, actual age isn't as important, especially in the 21st century, when humanity has solved all the main problems related to food, housing, hygiene, medicine, etc. Infant mortality in civilized countries today does not exceed 1–2%, and everyone has the chance to live to old age while maintaining vitality and sound mind.
