A 112-year-old former coal miner from western New York is the world's oldest man, according to Guinness World Records Ltd.
Salustiano Sanchez-Blazquez of Grand Island, N.Y. became the world's oldest man when Japanese man Jiroemon Kimura died June 12 at 116.
Guinness World Records confirmed Blazquez's age by reviewing census reports, immigration papers, marriage records and news reports.
Born June 8, 1901, in the village of El Tejado de Bejar, Spain, he was known for his talent on the dulzania, a double-reed wind instrument that he taught himself to play at weddings and celebrations. At 17, Salustiano moved with his older brother and some friends to Cuba, where he worked in the sugar cane fields.
In 1920, he came to the United States and worked in the coal mines of Lynch, Kentucky. Blazquez eventually ended up in the Niagara Falls area of New York, where he still lives, working in construction and in the industrial furnaces.
Salustiano attributes his extreme age to eating one banana per day and his daily dose of six Anacin tablets. His daughter, 69-year-old Irene Johnson, disagrees.
"I think it's just because he's an independent, stubborn man," she said.
Besides his daughter, he has a 76-year-old son, John, seven grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
Source: huffingtonpost.com
