Jack Crowley <[email protected]> explained: >There was a wonderful increase in the ages of many people in 1908 on the >introduction of the State general old age pension (so that they could >qualify for the pension). It worked the other direction as well. Irish women, for example, appear to have a very selective memory when asked their age. Senan Molony, in his book "The Irish on the Titanic" researched passenger records as well as the 1901 and 1911 census and found that by the time some women had boarded the vessel they had encountered some fountain of youth that washed away the years. -dja