Jeanne Louise Calment (February 21, 1875 – August 4, 1997) was a French woman who reached the longest confirmed lifespan in history at 122 years, 164 days (50604 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.
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, 93, 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, who died in 1934. Jeanne outlived her grandson Frederic as well. Frederic Billot, Eunice's grandson, died in 1963. Sanborn was very healthy for her age. She lived on her own until she was 110. 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 Carrie White, Calment, 116 years old, was recognized as the oldest living person of the world. In 1995, Calment surpassed Japanese supercentenarian Shigechiyo Izumi and became recognized as the oldest person in history.
She died in August 4, 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:
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