Notable Last Facts - Frequently Documented "lasts"

Frequently Documented "lasts"

Most commonly documented lasts include a last surviving veteran of a war, last speakers of extinct languages, or generally last surviving members of any type of formal, professional or cultural group. These are often brought to public attention at the time of death in an obituary or news story; frequently the facts that a person is a "last" of a group is the only obvious reason that their obituary or death notice would get national or international attention—a cultural phenomenon that underscores the interest in last. When such events occur they are often tagged with the phrase "end of an era . . . ." In terms of objects, last examples of architecture or building use or building architect are one potential criterion for inclusion in a State and National Register of Historic Places. Museums will often display last examples of particular objects, the last known work of a noted artist, or the stuffed remains of the last example of a species that has reached extinction.