In 1963, Barnet was intrigued by two newspaper articles reporting on Cubans who were more than a century old.
ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti θɹˈiː, bˈɑːɹnɪt wʌz ɪntɹˈiːɡd baɪ tˈuː nˈuːzpeɪpɚɹ ˈɑːɹɾɪkəlz ɹᵻpˈoːɹɾɪŋ ˌɔn kjˈuːbənz hˌuː wɜː mˈoːɹ ðˌænə sˈɛntʃɚɹi ˈoʊld.