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Ethel Caterham

Ethel Caterham, English supercentenarian

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Born
August 21, 1909
Age in 2026
117
Zodiac sign
Leo
Birth year
1909

About Ethel Caterham

Ethel May Caterham is an English supercentenarian who, at the age of 116 years, 206 days, has been the world's oldest verified living person since the death of Inah Canabarro Lucas on 30 April 2025. She is the oldest British person in recorded history and the last known surviving validated individual born in the 1900s decade. Ethel May Collins was born on 21 August 1909 in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, England, as the second youngest of eight siblings. On 22 January 2022, following the death of Mary "Mollie" Walker, Caterham became the oldest living person in the United Kingdom. Ethel May Caterham (née Collins; born 21 August 1909) is an English supercentenarian who, at the age of 116 years, 209 days, has been the world's oldest verified living person since the death of Inah Canabarro Lucas on 30 April 2025.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Ethel Caterham timeline

  1. Ethel May Collins was born on 21 August 1909 in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, England, as the second youngest of eight siblings.
  2. Ethel May Caterham (née Collins; born 21 August 1909) is an English supercentenarian who, at the age of 116 years, 209 days, has been the world's oldest verified living person since the death of Inah Canabarro Lucas on 30 April 2025.
  3. On 22 January 2022, following the death of Mary "Mollie" Walker, Caterham became the oldest living person in the United Kingdom.

The world when Ethel Caterham was born

Ethel Caterham was born in 1909. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1909

  • Best-selling book"The Inner Shrine" – Basil King

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentHonus Wagner leads Pittsburgh Pirates to World Series victory
  • Top headlineRobert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
  • Technology milestoneBakelite (first fully synthetic plastic) invented
  • Notable inventionBakelite plastic
  • World population~1.69B

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderWilliam Howard Taft
  • U.S. population88.8M

1909 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Ethel Caterham's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19092026
Population88.8M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, BBC. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.