Today, October 1, former President Jimmy Carter is celebrating his 100th birthday, becoming the first U.S. president to achieve this milestone.

When James Earl Carter Jr. was born in 1924 in the small farming town of Plains, Ga., the U.S. still had 48 states. Wheaties cereal was just making its debut on grocery store shelves, President Calvin Coolidge was in office and Babe Ruth slugged his way to becoming the MLB’s American League batting champion.

After initially pursuing a career as a naval engineer, Carter transitioned to farming peanuts and entered politics, securing a position in the Georgia state Senate in 1962. He then emerged victorious in the gubernatorial election of Georgia in 1971.

Carter’s political journey culminated in a successful Democratic presidential campaign in 1976, where he defeated incumbent President Gerald Ford to take office in the White House.

However, Carter’s presidency ended with a loss to Ronald Reagan in 1980, leading many to label him as a failed president, largely due to economic difficulties and foreign policy issues, particularly the Iran hostage crisis that overshadowed his final year in office. In recognition of his contributions to peace, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his role in the Camp David Accords of 1978, which established a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.

He is also perceived as a controversial former president, having notoriously mismanaged an initiative to isolate North Korea during the Clinton administration and contributing to efforts that criticized Israel by labeling it as an “apartheid” state.

Carter’s spouse, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, passed away less than a year ago at the age of 96.

{Matzav.com}