Seven Things That Are Actually Older Than Kevin Harvey

Our own Kevin is soon to be 50 years old. That seems pretty old to some of you, but is it really? Here are seven things that are older than he is.

1) Telephone
The invention of the telephone is usually credited to Alexander Graham Bell who first transmitted voice on June 2, 1875. The telephone is 2.7 times as old as Kevin.

2) Linoleum
Linoleum, a floor covering made from solidified linseed oil, was invented in 1860. Linoleum is 3 times as old as Kevin.

3) Canned foods
In 1809, Nicolas François Appert developed a method for preserving foods by vacuum sealing them in glass jars. Canned food is 4 times as old as Kevin.

4) Beer
Beer, in one form or another, has been produced for at least 7,000 years. Beer is over 140 times as old as Kevin.

5) Toenails
Toenails and fingernails are present only in primates (members of the Class Mammalia, Order Primata), including lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans. Primates have existed for at least 60 million years, making toenails at least 1.2 million times as old as Kevin.

6) Sharks
The cartilaginous fishes (Phylum Chordata, Class Chondrichthyes), comprising the sharks, skates, and rays, appeared in Earth’s oceans at least 350 million years ago. The cartilaginous fishes are at least 7 million times as old as Kevin.

7) Dirt
The origins of dirt lie in Earth’s remotest history – extending back perhaps as far as 4.5 billion years. Dirt is really a WHOLE lot older than Kevin. He’s got some catching up to do.