Born in 1935, I’ve Just Been Told I’m Exceptionally Rare.

Krishanthi Dee (may his tribe increase) posted this on FaceBook so, of course, it must be true.

“If you were born between 1930 and 1946, you belong to an incredibly rare group: only 1% of your generation is still alive today. At ages ranging from 77 to 93, your era is a unique time capsule in human history.

Here’s why:

You were born into hardship. Your generation climbed out of the Great Depression and bore witness to a world at war. You lived through ration books, saved tin foil, and reused everything—nothing was wasted.

You remember the milkman. Fresh milk was delivered to your door. Life was simpler and centered around the basics. Discipline came from both parents and teachers, with no room for excuses.

Your imagination was your playground. Without TVs, you played outside and created entire worlds in your mind from what you heard on the radio. The family gathered around the radio for news or entertainment.

Technology was in its infancy.

Phones were communal, calculators were hand-cranked, and newspapers were the primary source of information. Typewriters, not computers, recorded thoughts.

Your childhood was secure. Post-WWII brought a bright future—no terrorism, no internet, no global warming debates. It was a golden era of optimism, innovation, and growth.

You are the last generation to live through a time when:

Black-and-white TVs were cutting-edge.

Highways weren’t motorways.

Shopping meant visiting downtown stores.

Polio was a feared disease.

While your parents worked hard to rebuild their lives, you grew up in a world of endless possibilities. You thrived in a time of peace, progress, and security that the world may never see again.

If you’re over 77 years old, take pride in having lived through these extraordinary times.

You are one of the lucky 1% who can say, "I lived through the best of times."

Of course, our remembered lives and experiences are dying along with us, so there are fewer and fewer witnesses to those days.

Intrigued as I was, I asked ChatGPT “How long does it take for 1% of Americans born between 1930 and 1946 to die?”

Grinding away for several minutes (I have the $20 monthly version, and it takes longer) the answer was, “Using U.S. 2022 life-table death probabilities for ages 79–95 (the ages of people born 1930–1946 today), the average annual mortality is roughly 11–13%. At that rate, 1% of the cohort dies in ~0.08 years ≈ 28–31 days (≈24 days for men, ≈31 days for women).”

A month. In 100 months, the last of we oldsters will have shaken off this mortal coil and departed. Sorry about that, folks, but we warned you, and you were off somewhere getting a haircut, or being unfaithful to your partner.

Now, you’ll have to get along without us.

Good luck with that…