Ain't Dead Yet: Gifts from Over the Hill Quiz

Answer: Arthur Rubinstein

The great pianist Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982) said he kept up in older age by playing fewer pieces, practicing more, and slowing down for a few seconds before entering a fast passage. A lifelong philanderer, he left his young wife for another woman when he was ninety.

De Valera served as president of Ireland when he was 91. Spanish Pablo Casals still gave cello concerts at 88. Zukon was chairman of Paramount Pictures at 91.

"Age comes more gently to those who have some doorway into an abstract world--art, or philosophy, or learning--regions where the years are scarcely noticed and the young and old can meet in a pale truthful light". -Freya Stark.

Answer: Alexander von Humboldt

A good friend of Thomas Jefferson and other world leaders, Alexander von Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) traveled widely to study the earth in a scientific manner. In his mid-seventies he began writing everything known, which he titled "Kosmos". He died at 89 while writing the 5th volume.

Bonpland was a French surgeon and botanist who accompanied Humboldt. He died at 85. Polo explored China, India and Japan, and died in 1324 at age 69. Einstein passed in 1955 at 76, having just written a letter urging the world's nations to give up nuclear weapons.

"Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen." -Mark Twain.

Answer: Eliot Porter

Eliot Porter, a friend of Georgia O'Keeffe, partnered on his final book of nature photographs at 90. Brady photographed illustrious Americans, such as Abraham Lincoln, and the Civil War. He was making a slide show of his works when he was injured and died at 73, in 1896. Cunningham, on faculty with Ansel Adams, shot photos until she was 93. Eisenstaedt was a "Life" magazine photographer who took the famous picture of a sailor kissing a woman at the end of WWII. Alfred took his last photos, of the Clintons, in 1993. He was 94.

"Age is of no importance unless you are a cheese". -Billie Burke.

Answer: Giuseppe Verdi

Born 1813, Giuseppe Verdi composed "Falstaff" when he was eighty, followed by two other works. French composer and theorist Rameau, born 1683, began his operatic career at nearly fifty. He composed until his late seventies. von Goethe finished "Faust" when he was 81. The famous Belgium 15th century chanson composer Binchois retired in 1453 at age 53, passing away at 60.

"In dog years, I'm dead." -Unknown author.

Answer: Julia Child

At 49 Julia Child co-authored her first book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". She first appeared on TV at age 50, and wrote her last book at 91. Chanel was head of a fashion design company at 85. Dancer, actor and funny lady Burnette married at 69 to a man of 46, and worked in film and TV throughout her seventies. Soviet prima ballerina Semyonova retired as the most important teacher of the Bolshoi Theatre, at age 96. She died in 2010 three days before her 102nd birthday.

"Anyone who keeps on learning not only remains young, but becomes constantly more valuable regardless of physical capacity". -Harvey Ullman.

Answer: Michelangelo

Michelangelo (1475-1564) was chief architect of St. Peter's Basilica in his 70s and 80s. In his last days he worked on the "Palestrina Pieta", depicting the Virgin Mary mourning. He died in 1564 just short of 89. Louise Nevelson, a Russian-American born in 1900, was sculpting important pieces at 80. One of her works was destroyed with the World Trade Center in 2001. Rodin, born 1840, created figures so realistic he was charged with casting them from living models. He married, sketched and painted at age 77, the year he died. Haozous is an internationally recognized Native American sculptor whose most prolific years were ages 61 to 80. Many of his pieces are found in Washington, D.C., and all over the world.

"You spend 90% of your adult life hoping for a long rest and the last 10% trying to convince the Lord that you're actually not that tired". -Robert Brault.

Answer: Nelson Mandela

Nobel Peace Prize recipient Nelson Mandela (born 1918) served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 (age 75-80), remarried at 80, then worked for the rights of orphans until he retired at 89.

Washington was 57 when he became the first President of the US. The first seven US Presidents were all 57-61 at inauguration. Thurmond served as a US Senator until age 100. India's great leader Gandhi was still working for peace when he was assassinated at 78.

"There are no people so piteous and forlorn as those who are forced to eat the bitter bread of dependency in their old age, and find how steep are the stairs of another man's house...their hearts are scarred all over with stabs from cruel and callous speeches". -Dorothy Dix.

Answer: Oldest performing female bodybuilder

Wife and grandmother Ernestine Shepherd was the World's Oldest Performing Female Bodybuilder for the 2012 "Guinness Book of World Records". A self-described couch potato until age sixty, Ernestine began with an aerobics class. By 73 she had achieved a defined and beautiful figure. She was also a professional model, a certified fitness trainer, and she'd run nine marathons. Just shy of age 74 she took first place in the Grand Masters Division (over 55) as a competitive bodybuilder. The answer clue was "defined". Muscle definition is an important part of bodybuilding. At 73 she can't be in the Olympics or physically win the Boston Marathon. A model isn't going to eat thirty pies. Hope you got it, and that you are as impressed with her as I am!

"The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been". -Madeleine L'Engle.

Answer: John Glenn

In 1998 Senator John Glenn, aged 77, spent nine days in space, where he was studied for effects of space flight on the elderly. Glenn served 24 years as a US Senator, retiring at 78.

Sutherland is an award-winning Canadian actor who played an astronaut in "Space Cowboys" at age sixty-four. Garner also starred in "Space Cowboys", at 72, and continued work in film throughout his eighties. Thagard was the first American to ride in a Russian space vehicle as a cosmonaut. He stayed in space 115 days. He was 52.

"The elderly don't drive that badly; they're just the only ones with time to do the speed limit". -Jason Love.

Answer: Clint Eastwood

An avid pianist and composer, actor and director Clint Eastwood was at 74 the longest-lived recipient of the Academy Award for Best Director. Despite a prediction no good action film starred elderly characters, Eastwood's "Gran Torino" was one of the Ten Best Films of 2008, and won Best Foreign Film in France.

Burns won an Academy Award at age 80. Born in 1925, Newman was still racing his car, winning acting awards and involved in human rights at age 80. Redford, born in 1937, was working in film, production, business, his "Sundance" film festival, and activism for the environment the same years he wrote his autobiography, in his seventies. He remarried at 71.

"As we grow older, we must discipline ourselves to continue expanding, broadening, learning, keeping our minds active and open". -Clint Eastwood.