Colonel Harland Sanders
Grandma Moses
Age is no barrier to monumental success, as these 10 extraordinary individuals proved by achieving world-altering greatness after turning 65.
Colonel Harland Sanders (Sept. 9, 1890-Dec. 16, 1980, age 90)
After a lifetime of failed career ventures, Sanders found himself broke at age 65. He used his first $105 Social Security check to fund a road trip across America, pitching a unique fried chicken recipe to restaurant owners. He successfully launched the global KFC franchise network, revolutionizing the fast-food industry well into his 70s.
Nelson Mandela
Grandma Moses (Sept. 7, 1860-Dec. 13, 1961, age 101)
Anna Mary Robertson Moses was a rural homemaker who only took up painting at age 78 because arthritis made embroidery too difficult. Discovered by an art collector in a drug store window, her folk art captured international attention. She became a prominent American artist, eventually displaying her work at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.
Nelson Mandela (July 18, 1918-Dec. 5, 2013, age 95)
Mandela spent 27 years imprisoned for his anti-apartheid activism. Following his release and the subsequent fall of apartheid, he won the Nobel Peace Prize and was elected president of South Africa at age 75. His leadership during this period united a deeply fractured nation and solidified his legacy as a global symbol of peace.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura Ingalls Wilder (Feb. 7, 1867-Feb. 10, 1957, age 90)
Wilder spent most of her life working as a farm wife and local columnist. Encouraged by her daughter, she published her first novel, Little House in the Big Woods, at age 65. She wrote seven more sequels, creating the timeless Little House on the Prairie literary franchise that remains a staple of children’s historical fiction.
Frank McCourt (Aug. 19, 1930-July 19, 2009, age 78)
McCourt spent decades working as a high school English teacher in New York City. It was not until he retired at age 65 that he finally sat down to write about his impoverished childhood in Ireland. The resulting memoir, Angela’s Ashes, became an instant global bestseller and won the Pulitzer Prize.
Frank McCourt
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin (Jan. 17, 1706-April 17, 1790, age 84)
While already a respected inventor and diplomat, Franklin achieved his most historic political feats in his senior years. He helped draft and signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence at age 70. He then negotiated the critical military alliance with France and remained in public service until age 82.
Fauja Singh (April 1, 1911-present)
Fauja Singh
Singh did not take up serious running until he was 81 years old to cope with the deaths of his wife and son. At age 89, he ran the London Marathon in under seven hours. At age 100, he became the first centenarian to complete a full marathon by finishing the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
Peter Mark Roget (Jan. 18, 1779-Sept. 12, 1869, age 90)
Roget spent his primary career working as a physician and mathematician. Upon his retirement at age 61, he began organizing an expansive catalog of words grouped by their meanings. He published the definitive Roget’s Thesaurus at age 73, completely transforming modern writing, education and lexicography.
Peter Mark Roget
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” —C.S. Lewis
Masako Wakamiya
Masako Wakamiya (April 19, 1935-present)
Wakamiya bought her first computer at age 60 after retiring from a 43-year career at a major bank. Finding a lack of mobile applications designed for seniors, she taught herself how to code. At age 82, she launched Hinadan, a highly successful smartphone game centered on traditional Japanese culture.
Yuichiro Miura (Oct. 12, 1932-present)
Miura spent his younger years as a prominent speed skier, but achieved historic mountaineering feats much later in life. He successfully summited Mount Everest at age 70, age 75 and again at age 80. His final climb broke the world record for the oldest person to ever stand on top of the world’s highest peak.
Yuichiro Miura