ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It's no question Betty White is a national treasure. She holds the world record for longest TV career for a female entertainer and has been entertaining people for 80 years.
The former "Golden Girl" will celebrate her 100th birthday on Jan. 17, 2022.
A lot has changed since 1922, which means the iconic actor is actually older than a lot of inventions that we take for granted today.
Here are 10 things the actor is older than:
Sliced bread
You've probably heard this one. According to History.com, the first automatically sliced commercial loaves were produced on July 6, 1928. The machine was invented by Otto Rohwedder. He had an earlier prototype and blueprints in 1917, but a fire destroyed them, according to History. He also reportedly faced skepticism from bakers.
Penicillin
Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 at St. Mary's Hospital in London, according to ACS.org. But, it wasn't until the late 1930s into the 1940s that it was turned into the life-saving drug we know today.
Television
The television was first successfully demonstrated in 1927. It wasn't sold until 1939, according to Grolier Encyclopedia. It took a few more years until it became popular in American homes, but by the 1990s 98 percent of homes had at least one TV.
The Slinky
The idea of the slinky started to spring into reality in 1943, but the toy didn't hit store shelves until 1945, Smithsonian Magazine says. When a Gimbel's department store in Philadelphia agreed to sell the toy, it became one of the hottest Christmas toys that year.
Helicopters
The world's first practical helicopter, the VS-300, took flight in 1939, according to Connecticut History. The tethered flight lasted just a few seconds. It wasn't until 1940 that the first free flight happened.
Bubble Gum
The tasty treat was accidentally invented in 1928, the New York Times reports. Chewing gum was already around, but the bubbly version was created by a 23-year-old in his spare time. It would become the first commercial bubble gum called Dubble Bubble.
Kleenex
The first facial tissue, Kleenex, was invented in 1924, according to the company. It was originally marketed in the U.S. as cold cream and makeup remover.
Mount Rushmore
Construction on the national memorial didn't begin until Oct. 4, 1927, the National Parks Service says. It wasn't completed until Oct. 31, 1941.
Country music
LiveAbout.com says that most historians point to 1927 as the true moment country music was born, the year Victor Records signed Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family. But the first national country hit was listed in 1924 with Vernon Dalhart's "Wreck of the Old '97."
Electric can opener
The first electric can opener was patented in 1931 by the Bunker Clancey Company of Kansas City, Arstechnica.com said. The first can was invented all the way back in the early 19th century.
