ATHOL - A lot has happened since the year 1910.

The sinking of the Titanic, the Great Depression, two World Wars, civil rights movements, countless inventions, men landing on the moon and Y2K.

In 1910, Mark Twain and Florence Nightingale died, but Mother Teresa, Scatman Crothers and animator William Hanna of Hanna-Barbera fame were born.

And so was Marion Bates, who turned 105 Saturday.

"When she was born, her 12-year-old brother had to hitch the horse up and drive 12 miles to get the doctor," said Bates' daughter, Melissa Vannoy. "Can you imagine a 12-year-old kid doing that nowadays? By the time the doctor got back, she was already born."

Vannoy, 79, lives with her mom in Athol. She explained that when her mother came into the world in a small town near Tacoma, Wash., she arrived so quickly that the doctor couldn't get to the family home in time. Her father helped deliver her.

"They did it like that in the old days, you know," Vannoy said. "I think that is just a tremendous story."

Although the birthday girl was feeling under the weather and unable to share more amazing stories during the small afternoon party, friends and loved ones shared stories of their own and celebrated a woman who means so much to them.

"When she's up and about, she's got a wicked sense of humor," said neighbor Koral Conboy. "She's a funny gal. When she's going, she's funny."

Conboy said when she first met Bates, she asked her if she was married. She was humorously taken off guard by the older lady's response.

"She's been married three times and outlived all her husbands. So she says, 'I marry them and I bury them,'" she said, laughing. "That's the kind of lady that she is."

Conboy said it's impressive how long Bates has been around and what has happened in her lifetime.

"She saw the first cars, she saw the first phones, cell phones, computers," she said. "When you look at the list of the things she has seen the first of, it's just amazing."

Every Saturday, girls from the Denim and Diamonds 4-H Club visit Bates. They bring lunch, hang out and do girl stuff.

"I came over here one Saturday and it was kind of hard for her to hear us, but we wrote notes to her," said Lexi Cameron, 10, of Athol. "I gave her a bracelet and I painted her nails with stripes and polka dots."

Bates loves to knit and read and her favorite film is "Gone With the Wind." Vannoy said her mom is mellow, kind and loves to laugh, which may be one of the secrets to her longevity. She also said "it's in the genes."

"It runs in the family," Vannoy said. "She's outlived all her sisters. They lived to be 97, 99, but she's holding on.

"She says, 'It's the hard drinking that I did,'" she jested. "Well, my dad owned a bar."

Through seven various operations, 10 decades, three trips around the world, having four children and four grandchildren and learning to ride horses at the age of 63, Bates can definitely say she's done and seen a lot in her 105 years.

"It feels great," Melissa said, smiling fondly while her mother rested on the couch near her. "I'm glad that she's still here."