Yunusa Umar
A video clip showing a white dog with the voiceover talking about the year in which several great inventors died has gone viral on WhatsApp.
The one-minute clip having been forwarded so many times on different groups caught the attention of NV-A. In the video, showing a dog with a voice over detailing various health-related inventions and when their inventors died.
The voiceover stated that: “Eat whatever you like because…The inventor of the treadmill died at age 54. The inventor of gymnastics died at 57. The world bodybuilding champion died at age 41. The best footballer of the world, Maradona died at 60. And then.
“The KFC inventor died at 94. The inventor of Nutella died at 88. The inventor of Hennessy died at 98.”
“How did doctors come into conclusion that exercise prolongs life when the rabbit is always jumping but it lives for around 2 years, and the turtle that doesn’t exercise at all lives over 200 years. So, rest, chill, eat, drink and enjoy life”.
NV-A’s preliminary research on some of the claims made in the video returned false and misleading verdicts, hence the reason the researcher went ahead to extract all the claims in the video and fact-check it.
VERIFICATION
Some of the claims extracted from the video are verified below.
Treadmill Inventor
According to multiple internet sources, William Staub was an American mechanical engineer who invented and developed the first consumer treadmill for home use. Staub died on July 19, 2012 at the age of 96 but the post claims that the inventor died aged 54. His death was announced as seen here, here and here.
Gymnastics Inventor
In the video it was claimed that the gymnastics inventor died at age 57. Johann Friedrich Ludwig is credited as the inventor of gymnastics. It was reported here and here that he died at 74 years of age in 1852.
Bodybuilding Champion
“The world bodybuilding champion died at age 41”, the narrator in the video said.
Though, it is not clear who the narrator is referring to when mentioning “world bodybuilding champion” who died at 41.
The deceased winners of Mr. Olympia, the world’s premier bodybuilding competition, all died in their 70s. This includes Larry Scott, who won the first competition in 1965 and died aged 75. Three-time champion Sergio Oliva died aged 71.
Meanwhile, some bodybuilders have reportedly died young, as reported here, here, and here. Bodybuilder Rich Piana died at the age of 46 while Mike Matarazzo died aged 48. However, in 2023, it was reported that a National Physique Committee (NPC) bodybuilder, Sergio Fernandez died at age 41.
Best Footballer, Maradona
“The best footballer of the world, Maradona died at 60,” the narrator claimed.
Diego Maradona is an Argentina professional footballer who won the 1986 world cup and died in 2020 at the age of 60. His death announcement can be seen here, here and here. Maradona is widely referred to as one of the greatest players in football history, though he never won the Ballon d’Or, he received an honorary award in 1995 that was named the Golden Ballon d’Or.
The KFC Inventor
The voice on the video claimed, “The KFC inventor died at 94”.
Harland David Sanders was born on 9th, September, 1890 and died 16, December, 1980. He was an American businessman and founder of fast food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). His name and image are still symbols of the company. However, the KFC founder, Sanders died at the age of 90 as seen here, not 94 as claimed in the video.
Nutella Inventor
The video narrator claimed that the inventor of Nutella died at 88. But, Michele Ferrero, the owner of Nutella and Italian richest man died in his home in Monte Carlo in 2015 at age of 89 as reported here, here, and here.
Hennessy Inventor
The last inventor mentioned in the video was Hennessy’s inventor which it claimed died at 98. However, Richard Hennessy died in 1800 at age of 76 years as seen here, and here. He was born in 1724 and was an Irish military officer and businessman, best known for founding the Hennessy cognac dynasty which is a luxury brand and prominent in the world.
Similarly, the claim relating to the inventors had been fact-checked by various fact-checking outlets as seen here, here and here.
“How did doctors come into conclusion that exercise prolongs life when the rabbit is always jumping but it lives for around 2 years, and the turtle that doesn’t exercise at all lives over 200 years. So, rest, chill, eat, drink and enjoy life”.
What is the lifespan of a rabbit?
The claim made in the video stated that a rabbit which is always jumping lives for around two years. However, a check on this claim revealed that rabbits which are put into two categories have varied lifespans. Blue Cross found that domesticated rabbits can live between eight to 12 years while research shows that wild rabbits have a shorter lifespan as they can live for up to 9 years or as short as one year, based on food availability, predator presence, and weather stability.
What is the lifespan of a turtle?
PetMD reports that turtle and tortoise life spans vary significantly by species. While some may survive only 10 to 20 years in captivity, others can live for a remarkable 150 years but with proper care, many species can expect to live well into their 50s. However, the oldest living giant tortoise is 191 years old, as of May 23, 2024. His name is Jonathan from Seychelles and he holds the Guinness World Record as the world’s oldest land animal.
CONCLUSION
Almost all the claims by the narrator about the ages of inventors at the time of their death as well as the lifespan of rabbit and tortoise are FALSE and MISLEADING, the only claim which is TRUE is that of Maradona’s age at death but his title as “best footballer of the world” is also subjective.
