[originaltext] Not many couples stay married for 50 years. Even fewer do so

Not many couples stay married for 50 years. Even fewer do so for 75 years. It’s almost impossible for a couple to be married for 85 years. But that’s exactly what Henry and Maggie Thurston did.
    Henry was born on a farm in Iowa in 1857. At the age of 18 he went to Chicago to attend the university. There he met Maggie who had come from Cleveland to study art. She was one year younger.
    This was a true case of love at first sight. They got married in 1876, less than six months after they met. In 1877 their first son, Jack, was born. By 1885 they had five children, including their third son, Lou, who became a well-known writer. From 1900 to 1915 Henry and Maggie became grandparents thirty one times.
    On February 14th, 1961, they celebrated their 85th wedding anniversary. The day they had chosen for their wedding day had become Valentine’s Day. Over one hundred newsmen came to report on the event. The couple was seen on national TV. Most amazing of all, though, was the fact that over 1,500 relatives were also present. The youngest was a three-week-old baby girl. Henry and Maggie were old. He was 104 and she was 103.