(Photo via Library of Congress)
From 1778 to 1782, Daniel Frederick Bakeman was a soldier in the Continental Army. On the final day of his life--April 5, 1869--he was the last surviving American veteran of the Revolutionary War. Kathy Benjamin describes his extraordinary longevity:
In 1867, Daniel Bakeman finally applied for a military pension, even though his service had been almost 90 years before. At that point he claimed to be 107, and was 109 when he died two years later. It's also claimed that he was married to his wife for 91 years and 12 days, which, if true, would make it the longest marriage ever recorded.
You can read about the last survivors of other major events, including the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Thermopylae, at Mental Floss.
-via The Presurfer