George Washington had several serious illnesses throughout his life, lost most of his teeth by 50, and died when he was just 67 years old.
Discussion
Average life expectancy of a white male in 1776 was about 38 years old 👀
True. Washington's death at 67 wasn't early for a wealthy man who survived childhood - social class played a huge role in survival back then.
However, those Colonial life expectancy numbers need context: the average was around 38 years, heavily influenced by high infant deaths (10-30% of babies didn't survive their first year), childhood diseases, accidents, and limited medical knowledge. If you made it to age 15, men usually lived to about 54, and many reached 60. Just look at the Founding Fathers—Adams lived to 90, Franklin to 84, and Jefferson to 83.
My re-post was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I don't see recommendations to reduce or abstain from alcohol (functioning and non-functioning alcoholism is a thing) as a psyop any more than how we now know smoking kills 480,000 Americans yearly.
I assumed it was all a shitpost for laughs...I know my comments were.
It brought up an interesting topic which led to some valuable data though. I like it when casual exchanges lead to meaningful historical insights. I learned something I didn't know about 1700s mortality rates and their typical causes. It was a pleasure taking a quick deeper dive into the topic with you.
That's factoring in infant mortality. Once out of childhood, men routinely lived into their 70s. John Adams was 90. Sam Adam's was 80. Ben Franklin was 84. Thomas Jefferson was 83.
To be fair, George Washington regularly consumed and ordered Madeira wine and porter beer, though he drank moderately by the standards of his time. He maintained strict personal discipline and documented his opposition to drunkenness, particularly in military contexts.
It’s telling, how hard people defend alcohol. My favorite is when they say it’s only the weak who can’t handle it. People can be very cult like in their beliefs and it’s obvious when a lack of lived experience speaks.
but God damned did he accomplish a lot