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Hashtags usually take the backing of a few big names to gain popularity, so it was good news for #IKnewIWasOld when someone with almost 13 million followers began relentlessly tweeting it.
That someone was Neil deGrasse Tyson, American astronomer and science communicator, who used his 60th birthday to really get behind the sentiment of the hashtag with no fewer than 22 tweets on the subject.
From birthdays to bedtime, the 60-year-old covered it all.
#IKnewIWasOld when on my 60th birthday, I didn’t feel a day over 60.— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@Neil deGrasse Tyson) 1538748060.0
Slowing down sounds nice.
#IKnewIWasOld when I had no interest in accelerating faster than the guy next to me out of the traffic light that just turned green.— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@Neil deGrasse Tyson) 1538750100.0
Early bedtimes? Great news.
#IKnewIWasOld when the threat of being sent to bed early sounded like a reward rather than a punishment.— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@Neil deGrasse Tyson) 1538752560.0
Candles can be a reliable indicator in more ways than one.
#IKnewIWasOld when my family started buying number-candles to represent my age on a Cake rather than single candles themselves.— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@Neil deGrasse Tyson) 1538753760.0
Social issues can also be a great barometer.
#IKnewIWasOld when I saw the next generation complain about social issues that my generation didn’t yet have the awareness to notice.— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@Neil deGrasse Tyson) 1538755260.0
When kids become adults, it's hard to ignore the aging process.
#IKnewIWasOld when Adult fans come up to me and say “I watched you on PBS when I was a kid.”— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@Neil deGrasse Tyson) 1538756760.0
Once again, back to naps.
#IKnewIWasOld when all I wanted to do after a good meal is take a nap.— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@Neil deGrasse Tyson) 1538757660.0
Let's not forget that wisdom comes with age.
#IKnewIWasOld the day I figured out that back when I was 30 years old, I didn’t know shit about anything.— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@Neil deGrasse Tyson) 1538757960.0
The irony being of course that Tyson demonstrated an ability to understand social media unlike most 60-year-old people during his tweet storm.
Twitter users were certainly impressed with Tyson's insights:
@neiltyson The more you learn, the more you realise you don’t know— Alastair Job (@Alastair Job) 1538758050.0
@neiltyson You are one of the most fascinating men who ever lived. You are as old as the stars with endless lives yet to live. ❤️— Shelley (@Shelley) 1538758293.0
@neiltyson Congrats on completing another loop around our star. We appreciate you, traveling with us through the universe.— Pedro Majano (@Pedro Majano) 1538757037.0
And some even added their own #IKnewIWasOld life lessons:
@neiltyson #IKnewIWasOld when I could hear my body systems failing and shutting down when I bent to tie my shoe-lace.— Abishek Kota (@Abishek Kota) 1538756770.0
@neiltyson #IKnewIWasOld when I discovered I'd rather take a nap than eat lunch.— Elisa (@Elisa) 1538760980.0
@neiltyson #IKnewIWasOld when I went to a museum and they were teaching kids how a rotary phone worked... 😥 https://t.co/UkSph4L0Y4— F! (@F!) 1538757684.0
@neiltyson I knew I was old when they stopped asking for my ID when I ordered a drink— ChrisP2001 (@ChrisP2001) 1538756527.0
Happy 60th birthday, Neil!
And please—never change.
@1Jedi_Rey @neiltyson Happy Birthday Neil. https://t.co/3NewTBri2G— Ezra “E+Z” 🇺🇸 🏳️🌈 #IBelieveDrFord (@Ezra “E+Z” 🇺🇸 🏳️🌈 #IBelieveDrFord) 1538754844.0
A version of this article originally appeared on Press Association.