1.Recently, I went down a Google rabbit hole and ended up on the world's oldest bottle of wine. It's the Speyer wine bottle excavated from a Roman tomb in Germany. It's estimated to be 1,680 years old.
It got me thinking...what are other "oldest" things? Let's find out!
2.The oldest sourdough starter still alive is said to belong to San Francisco's Boudin bakery, which has made its sourdough from the same starter for 177 years.
3.The oldest restaurant in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records is Casa Botín in Madrid, Spain which has been operating since 1725.
4.The oldest bookstore is in the neighboring country of Portugal. It's called Bertrand Booksellers and has been open since 1732.
5.Scientists believe the oldest living organism is a tree nicknamed Methuselah in the US. It will be 4,854 years old in 2023. Its precise location is kept under wraps to protect it.
7.The oldest roller coaster was built in 1902 and is still running today. It's a wooden coaster called Leap the Dips at Lakemont Park in Pennsylvania.
8.The oldest functioning clock is at least 637 years old and sits at Salisbury Cathedral in the UK. It doesn't have a face and instead strikes on the hour.
9.The oldest confirmed violin in the world was made around 1565. Here's a video of a violin from 1566 being played (just so you can get a feel of the sound).
10.The oldest golf course in the world is the Old Course at Saint Andrews Links in Scotland. It was played first in 1552!
11.The oldest potted plant was brought to the UK from South Africa and planted in 1775. It's a prickly cycad currently on display at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Surrey. It's the last of its kind! Here is a photo of it and its keeper.
12.The world's oldest edible ham was cured in 1902 and is housed in Smithfield, Virginia. On July 8, the town throws a birthday party for the ham every year.
13.The oldest known jeans were pulled from a trunk in a shipwreck. The ship sank in 1857, so historians know the jeans are at least 166 years old.
14.Finally, I'm not sure if it's the oldest, but it's too impressive to mention: There has been a pot of stew simmering in Bangkok for over 45 years! Every night a little broth comes out so the pot can be cleaned, and ingredients are replenished as needed. Amazing!
