Betty White Is Older Than Sliced Bread And Penicillin At 98 Years Old

Jan 17, 2020

Betty White turned 98-years-old on January 17 and totes an impressive resume. In her 7 decade-long career the comedian has seen everything. She has even seen a few things that were invented after she was born: Here are 15 things that Betty White is older than:

Although it seems like sliced bread has been around for centuries, the first sliced bread was sold in 1928 - 6 years after Betty was born. According to the Nashua Telegraph, the Chillicothe Baking Company sold the first loaf of sliced bread. 

Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin in 1928 according to ACS.org. Fleming published his findings in the British Journal of Experimental Pathology in June 1929, However, Penicillin didn't hit the market until the 1940's. 

Even though this is where Betty would be getting her big break, forget color T.V. actual T.V. didn't go into households until 1927. And color T.V. was not born until 1950, according to NYU.edu. 

According to the Toy Hall of Fame, the slinky was made by accident in 1943. Mechanical engineer Richard James was "working to devise springs that could keep sensitive ship equipment steady at sea. After accidentally knocking some samples off a shelf, he watched in amazement as they gracefully “walked” down instead of falling." However, these old toys are still not as old as Betty white! 

Yep, that's right, Betty White is older than bubble gum. According to History.com, in 1928, a chewing gum company's employee, Walter Diemer, was able to create a successful formula to make bubble gum. It was the first commercially sold bubble gum and they called it Dubble Bubble. 

It seems weird, right? But facial tissues were invented when Betty White was two-years-old in 1924. According to the Star Tribune, the tissues were marketed by Kleenex and came in little popup boxes. 

According to Smithsonian Magazine, Richard Drew spent two years trying to devise a tape that was both sticky yet easy to pull off of things. His first invention of the tape was a dud and critics told him to take his “Scotch” tape back to the drawing board.

"They used the term "scotch" to mean “cheap,” a derogatory dig at stereotypical Scottish thriftiness." However, Drew finally came up with his winning invention and got the patent for it in 1930, 8 years after Betty White was born. 

Although children had dolls to play with during the time Betty White was born, the iconic Barbie doll that names every other doll after the fact wasn't invented until 1959. Ruth Handler first debuted her Barbie doll at the New York Toy Fair a whole 37 years after Betty was born. 

By the time construction began on Mount Rushmore it was already 1927 and by the time it was finished in 1941, Betty had already appeared on television. 

László Bíró was late to the game when he created the ballpoint pen in 1931 according to the history of pencils. "The first working ballpoint pen was presented at Budapest International Fair in 1931. They filed for patents in France and Britain in 1938." 

Can you name something else that Betty White is older than? Tell us below. Pass this article on to your friends and family.