8 Things as Old as Our Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile
Feb 15, 2020 • Ina Louise Manto
Juan Ponce Enrile’s longevity has long been the subject of countless memes and jokes. The Philippines’ former Senate President been around since 1924, and has witnessed countless historical events, the comings and goings of multiple political regimes, and he’s still got an active career as a senator. Is he a vampire? Is he drinking from the fountain of youth? We may never know. Here are 8 things of the same age as the seemingly immortal man:
The cheeseburger
The very first cheeseburger was made by Californian Lionel Sternberger in 1924 when he was 16. It had the same ingredients of the cheeseburger we know and love today: lettuce, onion, beef patty, pickles, ketchup, and of course, a slice of cheddar cheese.
The Philippines’ debut in the Olympics
Via Olympic
The Philippines competed for the first time at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. It is the nation’s debut in the Game, with only one participant, David Nepomuceno for track and field. He ranked 3rd in the 200m event while 6th for 100m. Unfortunately, he did not advance to the quarter-finals.
St. La Salle Hall
De La Salle College (De La Salle University) was originally in Paco, Manila. However, due to the increasing number of its student population and lack of space in the college, the construction of the St. La Salle Hall began in 1920 and ended in 1924. The hall was the designated building for elementary and high school students, back when the DLSU campus still offered it.
The radio altimeter
Via Jim Jones
The radio altimeter is a device found in aircraft that is used to measure the distance between the aircraft and terrain below it. Basically, it measures the altitude that you often hear from pilots during flights.
The gas chamber execution
In the US, executions through lethal gas were imposed on death row inmates as a more humane method of execution. When officials failed to pump gas into a jail cell, they decided to design a structure specifically for this form of execution. Et voila — the gas chamber. The first gas chamber execution happened in Las Vegas on February 4, 1924.
IBM
Via Coin Desk
Before 1924, the tech company IBM was called Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company, which was quite a mouthful. Thankfully, the company’s founders eventually decided to replace its name with the more expansive name International Business Machines Corporation, or IBM.
The Philippines’ first radio network
The Radio Corporation of the Philippines is the oldest and first radio network in the Philippines, and it was founded in 1924. RadioCorp continues to run to this day. Currently, it owns two national radio brands: the AM network Radyo Pilipino (formerly known as Radyo Asenso), and the FM network One FM.
The discovery of multiple galaxies in the universe
Via Flickr
In 1924, the world found out that there are, in fact, many galaxies in the universe. Edwin Hubble, an astronomer, announced that nebula Andromeda is actually a galaxy, like the Milky Way; proving that many galaxies exist.
Is Enrile really a vampire? Will he outlive us all? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
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