World’s oldest man smokes for 76 years and celebrates his 115th birthday

Puerto Rican Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, the world’s oldest man, according to the Guinness Book, celebrated his 115^th birthday on Monday. The man lives in the town of Isabela in the north-west of Puerto Rico with his niece. The man celebrated his birthday on a town’s square where he had been taken by ambulance vehicle. Numerous relatives and friends, including the Isabela mayor, came to congratulate the man on his 115^th anniversary.

Photo: World’s oldest man smokes for 76 years and celebrates his 115th birthday

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The world’s oldest man is full of happiness to live such an unusually long life. “I am happy. I have never thought that I could live for so many years,” said he.

The editorial board of the Guinness Book of Records acknowledged Emiliano Mercado Del Toro the oldest man living on Earth. Emiliano was a little boy when the USA took Puerto Rico away from Spain during the war of 1898. In 1918, when WWI was drawing to its end, Mercado became a soldier of the US Army. Throughout his entire life the man was working at sugar refineries and plantations, Itar-Tass news agency said.

Mercado does not hear very well. He lost his eyesight four years ago. The man can move on a wheelchair only. Answering journalists’ question about the secret of his longevity, Mercado said that he always ate only healthy food and never drank alcohol. “I have never poisoned my body with alcohol,” said he.

Isabela Mayor Charlie Delgado said that one of the convalescent homes in the town would be named in honour of Emiliano Mercado Del Toro. “We will name the hospital in honour of the man who always ate healthy food, hardly had any bad habits and made the island world-famous,” the mayor said.

It is worthy of note that Mercado was an avid smoker. He was smoking for 76 years and quit when he turned 90.

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov
Pravda.Ru

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