A 129 Year Old Woman? 5 Claims to the Title of Oldest Human Ever

According to the World Health Organization, old age is defined as anyone over 60. Now, this might seem relatively early to call someone old, but this is just for statistical purposes. The average human lifespan is on the rise, which is currently at 73 years, a 28-year increase from 1950 when it was 45. And the average is expected to reach 80 by 2100. So WHO might have to redefine old age over time. 

Old age is one thing, but several individuals across the globe have lived far past the average lifespan – the supercentenarians (those who reach the age 110). And with the developing means of communication and technology, there are ways to verify their ages.

There have also been several unverified claims to the title of the oldest human ever. So let’s look at some verified and unverified claims on the oldest humans and learn about the oldest living humans and their secrets to a long life!

Oldest Verified People Ever

As of today, the oldest verified human to have ever lived is Jeanne Calment from France, who died at 122 years and 164 days. She’s the only person known to have lived to the age of 120 and beyond. According to French records, she outlived both her daughter and grandson.

Recognized as the oldest living person at the age of 112, Jeanne became a figure in the public eye when she claimed that she had met the famous painter Vincent Van Gogh after he moved to Arles in 1888 when she was 13 years old. Quite savagely,  she called the meeting a disappointment and Van Gogh “very disagreeable” and reeking of alcohol.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Calment is considered the best-documented supercentenarian recorded with the easiest-to-verify age record. She was listed in fourteen census records, with the earliest when she was a year old. As per her TV interview, Calment claimed to never have been ill in her life. She did get diagnosed with conjunctivitis in both eyes at 20, but that aside, she had no known health issues. She was also a smoker up until 117 years of age and was regularly cycling until her 100th birthday.

Oldest Man

The oldest man to have lived is Jiroemon Kimura, who died at 116 years and 54 days of age. Kimura was a World War I veteran (probably the last alive until his death) and the last verified pre-20th century man. The last year of his army service was in 1921, prior to the Second World War, and he lived a life of farming in the following years of his life, surrounded by his family.

However, Kimura doesn’t even land in the top 10 oldest verified people ever. Those rankings belong to women aged 117 to 122. Of the top oldest verified humans ever, Lucile Randon is the only one still alive today.

Unverified Claims

Since 1955, the Guinness Book of World Records, has kept a verified record of oldest individuals, the top ten of which are mentioned above. And before being confirmed, sufficient evidence needs to be gathered to ensure that the age claim is indeed correct. This includes family history, relevant documentation that is verifiable, and preliminary eye lens testing to determine whether the age that the person is claiming to be is the true age.

In several cases, meeting all the criteria has not been possible, so several longevity claims remain yet to be verified. Five such recent claims are listed in the table below, all of whom are older than the verified oldest living person, Lucille Randon.

Johanna Mazibuko of South Africa

Johanna Mazibuko is a South African woman who claims to be almost 129 years of age, even surpassing the oldest human to have ever lived. She was born on a farm in Ottosdal and belongs to a family of 12 siblings, all of whom have already passed. In her own words, she doesn’t seem to be very fond of her old age:

“I am amazed at why I am still here after so many years. Why am I still here? People around me have been dying. When will I die? What’s the point of being alive? The world has tired me because I am just sitting here doing nothing.”

Swami Sivananda of India

Another claim is by Swami Sivananda, an Indian man whose identity card mentions his date of birth as August 8, 1896, making him over 125 years of age. This number first came to the public eye when he went to the vaccine center in Durga Kund, India, and has not been verified yet. If verified, he would be the first man to have ever been verified to live over 120 years of age.

Manuel Garcia Hernandez of Mexico

Following Sivananda is Manuel Garcia Hernandez, a Mexican individual living in Chihuahua who also claims to be 125 years old. The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has expressed his gratitude to this centenarian, saying:

“I send an affectionate, fraternal greeting to Mr. Manuel García Hernández, he is 124 years old, a century and a quarter. He was born on December 24, 1896.”

Nevertheless, this date of birth is still unverified as of today.

Oldest Living People

In the next few years, some verified living people may earn the title of some of the oldest people to have ever lived. Most notable is the oldest living woman, Lucile Randon, who is fourth on the list of the oldest people ever to have lived, and she’s still going strong! She is also the oldest survivor of COVID-19, testing positive for the virus when she was 117 years old. She’s a catholic nun and has been since a very young age, and is often known by the name Sister André. This also makes her the oldest living nun, too. She resides in a French nursing home where she has lived since 2009.

Although men didn’t make it to the top five oldest living people list, the oldest living man is Mr. Juan Vicente Pérez from Venezuela, at 112 years. Having spent most of his life in agriculture, Perez is very healthy and has a remarkable memory, unlike most people in old age. He celebrated his 110th birthday in 2019, making him the first male supercentenarian in Venezuela. In his words, the secret to a long life would be “work hard, rest on holidays, go to bed early, drink a glass of aguardiente every day, love God, and always carry him in your heart.”

What Are These Centenarians’ Secrets For A Long Life?

Well, no one has yet unlocked the secret to a long life. While some claim that a simple, healthy life was the secret, others go as far as to say that the only reason they lived so long was that they drank every day.

Andrew E. Slavonic, a Pennsylvanian man who turned 101 in December 2018, claimed that he’d been drinking himself to sleep every night for the past 15 years. And that’s what really improved his health. Another American woman claimed that the secret to her long life was never marrying.

Scientists have linked healthy living habits such as diet and exercise to a long life. Nevertheless, it does seem that genes are more at play here than we think when it comes to lifespan.

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The photo featured at the top of this post is © Magomed Magomedagaev/Shutterstock.com