President Joe Biden, somewhat quietly, celebrated his 81st birthday on Monday as a growing number of Americans say the commander-in-chief is past his sell-by date to lead the country through increasingly fraught times abroad and multiple crises at home.
Whether it's his seeming lack of fitness to serve or the fruits of his policies, Biden is now — according to polling from NBC News — trailing behind former President Donald Trump by two points, 46 percent to 44 percent and, among younger voters, losing to Trump 46 percent to 42 percent. As The New York Post noted in its coverage of the fresh polling, that's a significant swing from the 2020 election in which young voters "broke for Biden by around 26 points."
"Only 31% of young voters approve of Biden’s job performance, down starkly from 46% in September," the Post added.
With so much talk of age and fitness these days, and because this week marks the official start of the holiday season, Townhall is pausing the polling coverage for a minute to enumerate, for a lighter serving of context, some old things that are younger than Joe Biden, born this day in 1942.
- The Atomic Age began in December 1942 when the first controlled nuclear fission chain reaction was engineered at the University of Chicago.
- American forces (and trees) breathed a sigh of relief when the first fully integrated Buna-S synthetic rubber factory began production in 1943.
- The microwave oven was patented by Raytheon employee Percy Spencer in 1945.
- Velcro was invented by George de Mestral in 1948.
- Baking got easier in 1947 when Betty Crocker's now-famous cake mix was launched
- The compound now known as Super Glue was realized as a beneficial product in 1951
- Ray Kroc's first McDonald's restaurant was opened in 1955
- The modern "Airway, Breathing and Circulation” method of CPR was honed in 1960.
- Hula Hoops were invented in 1958 by Richard Knerr and Arthur "Spud" Melin
- The first Barbie doll was created in 1959
- In a bid to compete with French baguettes, an Italian baker created Ciabatta bread in 1982
- Modern Sudoku was invented in 1979
- Diamond engagement rings didn't take off until after 1947 when the "A Diamond Is Forever" campaign was launched by South African diamond company De Beers
- Before 1968, Americans in need of emergency services couldn't simply call 9-1-1 to get help
- "Under God" wasn't in the Pledge of Allegiance until a law added the phrase in 1954.
- The motto of the United States wasn't "In God We Trust" until 1956.
Also younger than Joe Biden: the first crude "TelePrompTer," created in 1949 using a huge roll of butcher paper, but even seven decades of scrolling text advancements aren't enough to save Biden from himself during public statements.
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— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) November 20, 2023
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