112-year-old named world’s oldest living man while in quarantine

 

A British man, who was born 10 years before the deadly Spanish flu swept across the world in 1918, has been named the world’s oldest living man. He is currently in quarantine from the coronavirus in his assisted living home.

Bob Weighton, who turned 112 on Sunday, was recognized by Guinness World Records after residents sang “Happy Birthday” to him from a safe distance to adhere to the United Kingdom’s social distancing guidelines.

“I never expected to be that,” Weighton said in a video released by Guinness World Records. “When you’re young you don’t think about being old, but it’s a new record for me. The only other record I remember ever having was jumping 5 feet 2 inches high in my school days on the final high jump.”

The supercentenarian shared that one of his tips to longevity was a tranquil attitude toward life.

“I’m just happy to live for a long time,” Weighton said. “I’ve never been someone who said I’m gonna climb Everest or sail around the world or do something (like that). I just take life as it comes along.”

He also stays busy making miniature wooden windmills that he sells to raise money for charity.

“I’m basically an engineer, so making things is my natural element,” he said.