Katherine Young
Katherine Young | |
---|---|
Born | Palo Alto, California | May 10, 1901
Alma mater | Yenching University |
Spouse | Paul T. J. Young |
Katherine Young (鄭珣; Pinyin: Zhèng Xún) (May 10, 1901 – October 24, 2005) was an American centenarian who, at the age of 102 in 2003, gained publicity when she was described as the oldest known living user of the Internet.[1]
Biography
Born in a small
In 1998, aged 97, and having served as president of the Rose Club in Palo Alto's Lytton Gardens Senior Communities, she decided to try something new and signed up for the retirement community's 12-week computer class which aimed to teach seniors how to use
Five years later, on her 102nd birthday, she became a celebrity for being the oldest person to surf the Internet. She was feted with numerous birthday emails and an emailed sonogram of her great-grandson, who was born in August 2003. She studied Chinese genealogy on Google and, having been Rose Club president for 16 years, researched roses. She used email to communicate with her ten grandchildren and told reporters she checks for new messages as many as six times a day. From her apartment, she accessed the Internet via MSN TV (formerly WebTV) Internet service provider. Microsoft recognized her achievement and gave her a golden lifetime subscription.
Katherine Young died in Palo Alto almost six months past her 104th birthday. It has been noted that although she was considered the oldest known living user of the Internet,
References
- ^ "California Woman Still Web-Surfing at 102". Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. May 7, 2003. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2010.