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Jeanne Calment
Jeanne Calment
Birth: 21 February 1875
Arles, France
Death: 4 August 1997
France
Age: 122 years, 164 days
Country: FranceFRA
Validated

Jeanne Louise Calment (21 February 1875 – 4 August 1997) was a French woman who reached the longest confirmed lifespan in history at 122 years, 164 days (44,724 days in total). Her lifespan has been thoroughly documented by scientific study; more records have been produced to verify her age than for any other case. She was the 2nd verified and undisputed person to reach their 115th birthday (after Augusta Holtz), and the first verified and undisputed person to reach 116, and the first to reach the age of 117. She was the first, and remains one of only two people, to reach the ages of 118 and 119, and remains the only person verified to have reached the ages of 120, 121, and 122.

Biography

Born in Arles, France, her close family members also lived to an advanced age: her brother, François, lived to the age of 97, her father, Nicolas, 92, and her mother, Marguerite, 86. In 1896, she married her second cousin (grandson of her great-uncle) Fernand Calment, a wealthy store owner. His wealth made it possible for Calment never to have to work; instead she led a relaxed lifestyle, pursuing hobbies like tennis, cycling, swimming, rollerskating, piano and opera. Her husband died in 1942 after eating a dessert prepared with spoiled cherries.

Jeanne and her husband had a daughter, Yvonne (20 January 1898 - 19 January 1934), who died from pneumonia a day before her 36th birthday. Jeanne outlived her grandson Frédèric as well. Frédèric Billot (23 December 1926 - 13 August 1963), Yvonne's son, died in an automobile accident. Calment was very healthy for her age. She lived on her own until two weeks before her 110th birthday. But after a small fire set in her house one day, she moved to a nursing home

Recognition

Jeanne Calment was first recognized when she was 113 years old. She reported that she had seen Vincent van Gogh when she was 13 years old. This claim made her appear in the 1990 movie Vincent and Me, where she played herself, and became the oldest person ever to appear in a film.

After the death of Florence Knapp on 11 January 1988, she became the world's oldest verified living person and she became the oldest verified person ever after surpassing the record of Augusta Holtz on 11 May 1990. However, Carrie C. White claims to have been older than Calment, but her original claim to 116 is disputed. And Marie Laure du Serre-Telmon claims to be 117. She is more likely to be true. If her claim is true, Calment would have become the oldest person ever on 26 February 1992.

She died in 4 August 1997 at the age of 122 years, 164 days.

Longevity records

Jeanne Calment is believed to be the oldest verified person in history.

References

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  • Allard, Michel; Lebre, Victor; Robine, Jean-Marie; Calment, Jeanne (1998). Jeanne Calment: From Van Gogh's Time to Ours : 122 Extraordinary Years. New York: W.H. Freeman. ISBN 0-7167-3251-3.  Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
  • Robine, Jean-Marie; Allard, Michel (1999). Jeune, Bernard; Vaupel, James W. (eds), ed. Jeanne Calment: Validation of the Duration of Her Life. Validation of Exceptional Longevity. Odense University Press. ISBN 87-7838-466-4.  Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
  • Whitney, Craig R. (1997-08-05). "Jeanne Calment, World's Elder, Dies at 122". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-22.  Check date values in: |date= (help)

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External links

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