The oldest person to date. The most famous centenarians in the world

The oldest person on the planet is a relative and multifaceted concept. It may concern both official statistics and ancient legends and eyewitness accounts. You can name the names of living long-livers or remember those who have already passed into another world.

Throughout the history of civilizations, man has always strived for immortality. But what is eternal life - the ultimate dream or a curse? Be that as it may, people are mortal and only the Creator knows how much is destined for each of us. However, some representatives of our family managed to push the age limit so far that this fact causes sincere surprise and keen interest. Our story today is about them - the oldest people on Earth.

Who is considered a long-liver?

An elderly person is included in the category of centenarians if he has crossed the ninety-year mark. There are quite a lot of such people in the world, for example, in Russia there are about 350,000 of them. If they talk about the very best, this bar is raised to 110 years. There are already significantly fewer centenarians on the planet who have celebrated their centennial anniversary. The gap is colossal.

The primary question for statistics is to find authentic documents confirming the venerable age of a person. Over the last century, the world has been shaken by many wars and natural disasters, which often led to the loss of metrics and other written sources. Therefore, the list of people over 110 years of age was divided into three categories:

Verified – there is an official document about the date of birth: a state certificate or an entry in the parish register.
Pending verification – the authenticity of documents is being studied by specialists.
Speculative – no obvious evidence of longevity was found.
The Gerontological Research Group deals with issues of longevity verification.

It is worth mentioning separately the mythical characters, saints of various faiths, to whom legends and religious scriptures attribute hundreds of years of life. So the Bible says that the famous progenitor of mankind, Methuselah, lived 969 years, eating only honey and fruits. His name acquired a common meaning to denote longevity (“Methuselah age”).

The oldest people on the planet (currently living)

Today, more than 1060 names are included in the general list of elders of the world. As annoying as it is for the stronger half of humanity, the top ten includes only long-lived women. And among the entire list, the number of men is less than 10%.

This fully confirms the trend of longer life expectancy for the female population in almost all countries that has developed in recent centuries. Answering the question: “Why do women live so much longer?”, gerontologists are inclined to physiological reasons.

This means that female nature is more adapted to survival and maintaining vitality. In particular, experts have discovered that the hormone testosterone causes disruptions in the immune system of men. While the female hormone estrogen, on the contrary, has anti-aging properties.

The second pattern: five of the ten oldest people on Earth are Japanese. The Land of the Rising Sun invariably leads the ranking in terms of the number of centenarians in the world. According to statistics, per 100 thousand Japanese there are 35 people who celebrated their centenary.

The Japanese secret of longevity is in a special diet, which contains seafood and algae every day. Scientists are inclined to believe that if the “elixir of youth” is ever found, its main ingredient will be seaweed.

TOP 10 living longest-living record holders

Chiyo Miyako

Giuseppina Proetto-Frau

Kane Tanaka

Maria Giuseppa Robucci-Nargiso

Shimoe Akiyama

Lucille Randon

Shin Matsushita

Tane Yonekura

Gabriel de Robert

Bessie Cam

Now the oldest person on the planet is the Japanese woman Chiyo Miyako, who lives in the Kanagawa region. She received her honorary status quite recently. She became the oldest inhabitant of the planet on April 21, 2018, after the death of 117-year-old compatriot Nabi Tajima. Tanzima called good sleep and passion for dancing her secret to longevity.

In second place is a lady from Italy - Giuseppina Proetto-Frau, 115 years old. A centenarian was born on the island of Sardinia. In 1946 she moved to Florence, where she lives to this day with one of her daughters.

The third place of honor is occupied by 115-year-old Japanese Kane Tanaka.

Despite the fact that the life expectancy of earthlings is constantly increasing, the maximum age of the most tenacious representatives remains the same. Lately, no one has been able to cross the 120-year mark. As gerontologists note, this looks like some kind of insurmountable wall.

Gone

The list of age record holders of all times and peoples is more numerous. Let's talk about the most outstanding of them.

Zhanna Kalman (122 years old)

The record for longevity belongs to the legendary Frenchwoman, who was born in the 19th century (1875) and did not live to see the 21st century for only three years. The age limit she has reached is considered the maximum confirmed. She is listed as the oldest centenarian in the Guinness Book of Records. During her long life, Jeanne survived World Wars I and II and 25 rulers of France.

If not for her age record, her biography could be called mediocre. She spent her entire life in her hometown of Arles, had a daughter and a husband, whom she outlived by more than half a century. Left without relatives, at the age of 110 Zhanne moved to a nursing home, where she lived for another 12 long, happy years.

Kalman herself considered the absence of stress to be her secret to longevity. By modern standards, she was not a proponent of healthy habits. Jeanne smoked a lot and, like all French people, was a lover of good wine and sweets.

Jiroemon Kimura (116 years old)

The oldest male person on Earth is Japanese again! They definitely know the secret ingredient to increasing a person’s “shelf life.”

Jiroemon Kimura was born in Kyoto in 1897 and worked in the post office all his life. After retiring, he took up farming on his own plot. According to the testimony of his relatives, a moderate diet and a tireless craving for an active lifestyle helped him set a longevity record.

Centenarians in the Guinness Book of Records

If we talk about currently unconfirmed facts, the Guinness Book of Records is currently checking the data of Russian Appaz Iliev from Ingushetia. He presented documents to the gerontological service that he was born in 1896. If this information is confirmed, he will become the oldest person on Earth at the age of 122 years. There are often reports in the press about record holders from Russia, but they do not have official status.

The Secret of Longevity

The top five countries with the largest number of centenarian residents are America, Japan, France, England, and Italy. In addition to these countries, some habitats have such fame, for example, the settlements of the Indian tribes of Hunza, the island of Okinawa, and the Russian Caucasus.

Analyzing the phenomena of venerable age among the peoples of the world, scientists were unable to calculate even an approximate formula for longevity. Researchers at the University of Demographic Problems have done a lot of work studying people who have reached 115 years of age. In their final statement, they stated that they had not discovered a single quality that united them all. Except for one thing – genetic predisposition.

The category of long-livers includes people of different nationalities, those born in rich and poor families, those who have never worked and workers and farmers who work their whole lives. Paradoxically, the age limit does not depend in any way on the specialty, quality of life and nutrition, or level of medical care.

What should those who want to break or at least get closer to longevity records do? Leading gerontologists advise following the following recommendations:

• be moderate in food;
• live in clean natural regions;
• lead a measured lifestyle;
• maintain inner harmony.
• As for food, it turned out that most of the centenarians loved chocolate and fruits. It is possible that the antioxidants they contained had a beneficial effect on their health.

Probably, in the future, scientists will identify the longevity gene and learn how to introduce it to everyone. In anticipation of this epoch-making event, all that remains is to adhere to time-tested advice: do not overeat, avoid stress, move more and smile more often. Remember that a positive attitude and positive emotions reduce the likelihood of a person developing any disease by 50%.

The question of human life expectancy has haunted people's minds for thousands of years. This is the most important question for any adult who lives on earth.

A thousand years of life

According to biblical records, the oldest person in history was almost a thousand years old. He lived several centuries ago and his name was Methuselah. He lived a long life and died at the age of 969 years. And at that time, according to the scriptures, this was a normal age. However, this is written about only in the Bible and there is no other data about this long-liver. Therefore, some believe in its existence, others do not. But even now there is documentary evidence that cases of longevity do occur. Some, as before, reached the hundred-year mark. Practice shows that there are quite a few such facts.

In Japan, life expectancy is longer than in other countries in the world. At the end of 2012, there were almost 45 thousand people in the country who had crossed the century mark. Moreover, among them the absolute majority are women. It turns out that in Japan there is one centenarian for every 2,900 people.

Now the oldest person in the world lives in Japan. In 2012, a former postman named Jiroemon Kimura turned 115 years old. And for his old age, he lives quite actively. Every day a man reads newspapers, delves into broadcasts of meetings of the local parliament, that is, he strives to know everything that is happening around him.

According to other sources, the oldest person is a resident of Georgia, Antisa Khvichava. The woman celebrated her 132nd birthday in 2012. However, there is no absolute evidence of her considerable age. In the fall of 2012, the centenarian passed away. But until her death, she thought sensibly, played backgammon, and even allowed herself to drink a glass of vodka a day. Another centenarian has brought glory to El Salvador. Cruz Hernandez Rivas is 130 years old. And until she was a hundred years old, the woman worked - she was a midwife. However, even here it is impossible to document the age - there is no evidence. All data is based only on the words of the long-lived woman herself.

Russian centenarians

In Russia, too, we meet residents, and quite a few, who are celebrating their centenary anniversary and living happily ever after. But there are not so many such people, compared to other countries. For example, in the Guinness Book of Records, since its inception, there has never been a record of Russian people who lived for a long time.

Because no one wants to die, but everyone wants to live almost forever. And that is why information about people who celebrate significant dates is perceived with great interest. There are plenty of centenarians in Kuzbass. There are approximately one hundred residents in the region who have already celebrated their hundredth birthday. Among them, perhaps, lives the oldest man in Russia. Her name is Anishchuk Ekaterina Trofimovna. In January 2012 she turned 109 years old.

Grandfather Magomed

Well, the previous oldest resident of Russia was Magomed Labazanov, a resident of Dagestan. He passed away in the fall of 2012. He died at the age of 123.

For a long time he was considered the oldest resident of Russia. Magomed Nasibovich was born, in his own words, in the village of Gedari, Tsumandinssky district, on May 1, 1890. In his native village they called him grandfather Magomed. And his age was respected; people came to the wisest man for advice from different parts of the republic.

And not surprisingly, the leadership of the Kizlyar region called Magomed Labazanov a worthy example for the younger generation. It turns out that grandfather Magomed witnessed the Great Patriotic War and the deportation of the Chechen people to Kazakhstan. The latter was important for Labazanov, because before the Second World War he worked in Chechnya at a sawmill. Upon returning from the Kazakh steppes, my grandfather began to engage in livestock farming. And in retirement he returned to Dagestan, where he and his family remained to live in the village of Staraya Serebryakovka in the company of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He outlived two wives and three of his four children.

Grandfather Magomed was married twice. The first wife was with me for 9 years. She did not bear her husband any children. Well, Magomed remained faithful to his second wife until the end of his days. The woman was 19 years younger than her chosen one; she died at the age of 89.

During his lifetime, Magomed Labazanov happily shared the secrets of his long life. This is the right way to live. Grandfather never smoked or drank. And besides that, I ate in moderation. I especially loved corn cakes, whey, fruits, vegetables and herbs.

The Dagestani did not learn to read and write, but no one dared to call him illiterate. Relatives say that Magomed Nasibovich was repeatedly wanted to be included in the Guinness Book of Records. Experts from around the world constantly visited the family to learn the secrets of longevity from the centenarian. By the way, there was no time for the Book of Records back then. The family was busy; Magomed himself went to the mosque for every prayer almost until his death. Relatives say the main reason for the longevity of their father, grandfather and great-grandfather is physical activity, movement and work. The man had 4 sons, 9 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.

Centenarian's birthday

By the way, on the lists of centenarians there are many people who connected their lives with scientific or journalistic activities. There are quite a few celebrities in Russia who have passed away at an advanced age (it is worth noting that a person is considered a long-liver if he celebrated his 90th birthday). Thus, the Soviet military leader, Minister of Defense of the USSR Sokolov Sergei Leonidovich died at the age of 101. Soviet actor Nikolai Annenkov lived to be 100 years old. The master of political caricature Boris Efimov died at the age of 109. Russian ballerina Marina Semenova died when she was 101 years old, and choreographer Igor Moiseev died at the same age.

Centenarians

It is worth noting that in most cases, when calculating the oldest inhabitant of the planet, documentary data becomes a huge problem. They often turn out to be lost, because most of today's centenarians were born in the nineteenth century, at a time when documents were not treated as carefully as they are now.
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The topic of longevity and life expectancy is often touched upon on our website. Let's remember who the long-livers are. The concept of long-lived (long-lived) is interpreted differently everywhere. Age limits are different everywhere. In the United States of America, an elderly person aged 85 years is a long-liver. In Russia, from 90 years, which corresponds to the generally accepted international border. These frameworks are the same for men and women.

In this article we will talk about the centenarians of our country. Everyone has heard about the elders from the island of Okinawa, where 100 years is the age suitable for martial arts. Most of the world's elderly people live there. What about our Russian expanses? Who is the oldest person in Russia and how old is he?

Life expectancy today

Statistics show that today the level and duration of life in the world is growing. Only in 2017 was a record recorded for the number of Russian citizens who were over 100 years old. Today, 70-75 years are the life span of all over our planet. And Russia will soon become no exception. Every day the list of centenarians is replenished with Russians at an enviable speed.

Long-livers of Russia

What about us? What is the situation with older people in Russia? There are many Russians living in our country who are celebrating their centenary, we just don’t advertise such events as widely as other countries. Due to the fact that the level of life expectancy in Russia is not as high as in other more developed countries, we do not have such a large number of centenarians. That is why among Russians there are no people listed in the Guinness Book of Records because of their longevity. But Russian centenarians left their mark on history. Let's find out more about them.

Nanu Shaova

Experts from the Mir TV channel interviewed an elderly resident of Russia, Nanu Shaova.

Nanu talks about herself, her life and how she celebrated her 127th birthday.

Long-living people are not uncommon in Kuzbass. And one of them (according to some sources, the oldest person in Russia) is Ekaterina Trofimovna Anishchuk. Born in Novosibirsk in 1903. She is a “Veteran of Labor”, a home front worker. He has lived in his hometown all his life. In 2017, the centenarian turned 114 years old.

Previously, he was the oldest centenarian in Russia. Magomed died at the age of 123.

Grandfather Magomed was born on May 1, 1890 in the village of Gedari. Residents treated the man with great respect. People from the most remote places of the republic turned to him for his instructions and wisdom. No wonder, because the government of the Kizlyar region has always set Magomed as an example to others. The younger generation looked up to the man.

He was deported to Kazakhstan along with other Chechens. After returning home, he took up cattle breeding. When he retired, he returned to Dagestan and finally took root in his native land. Got a wife and children.

And Labazanov was married twice. He had no children from his first wife, but he remained with his second until the end of his life. In their marriage they had 4 sons, from whom 9 grandchildren were born, and from those 12 great-grandchildren.

Magomed also claimed that he did not follow any special diet. I ate as much as I wanted, but only healthy food.

Born in 1880 at the turn of the century. In 2012, Tootie passed the 133-year mark. A film was made about her as the oldest Russian resident.

The centenarian lives with her family in Aul of Karakalpakstan. Tuti Yusupova gave her life to work for the sake of her homeland and her family. She got married at the age of 17. But she was widowed in 1940 and has lived alone since then. From her children she has more than a hundred grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This is an absolute record in world history.

Born in the village of Aminevo. She died in 2011 at the age of 121. But again, this is not entirely confirmed data, since many important papers and lists that could attest to the exact date of birth were lost. But the centenarian herself assured everyone that her birthday was the first of July.

Khametova worked as a healer in her village and treated residents. She raised seven children alone. My husband died in the war.

Habimbal stuck to her routine. I took daily walks, followed my own diet, and drank healthy herbs. But some argue that long life was not uncommon in her family.

Russian Pelageya Zakurdaeva was born in 1886 on the birthday of A.S. Pushkin. This time the data is fully documented.

As a child, the centenarian was illiterate. She was engaged in housekeeping and cattle breeding. Married 4 times.

Pelageya had no children. But the second husband already had sons and daughters from his first marriage. She raised the children as if they were her own and cared deeply for them. Pelageya met her third love in Tashkent. Soon this husband also died.

Zakurdaeva’s last marriage was to a German, Karl. But according to the evil fate of fate, he was destined to die in a car accident.

Pelageya Zakurdaeva died of ARVI at the age of 118.

Sarhat lived in her native village until she was 131 years old. The centenarian remembers the reign of Alexander II. The woman prayed daily. She categorically refused to take any medications other than herbs. She raised someone else's child, since she did not have any children of her own. For most of her life, Sarhat Rashidova lived alone. She was a sensitive hostess and a hospitable host. I always loved receiving guests in my home.

Born in Yakutia in 1890. The head of the family was a reindeer herder, and the centenarian successfully continued the family business. She was given the title for her services to her fellow villagers. She tried to pass on her knowledge and skills in this matter to everyone.

She was married to Alexei Semennikov, a hunter. They had two children who died early. After the incident, Varvara took custody of four children. Subsequently she became a grandmother. She had more than 10 grandchildren.

Until her centenary, she smoked tobacco to excess and did not hesitate to drink a glass of other wine on a special occasion. Her diet was based on the usual diet in those parts: fish and venison. Until the last days she was fully capable.

A famous long-liver from North Ossetia. Gosada says that longevity was passed on to her from a snake that bit her in early childhood.

Tsallaeva was at work all her life and even after retirement she started her own farm. She was able to work until she was 98 years old.

She had 11 children, four of them adopted.

Gosada Tsallayeva died at the age of 122.

Maria Strelnikova

In 2005, Maria Petrovna was awarded the title of the longest-living resident of Russia (before her, this status was held by Pelageya Zakurdaeva).

Maria Strelnikova worked until she was 81 years old. The list of foods she consumed daily included vegetables and dairy products. She didn’t like meat, but she couldn’t take away her passion for coffee. Often Strelnikova did not remember how many cups of coffee she drank per day.

A native among her daughters has died. She was 115 years old.

Other famous centenarians of Russia

Few people know that among celebrities or public Russian figures there were many long-livers. Soviet Minister of Defense Sergei Leonidovich Sokolov died at the age of 101.

Nikolai Annenkov, an actor in the Soviet Union, died when he was 100 years old.

The famous ballerina Marina Semenova, who died at the age of 101.

The most common problem when determining the oldest person on earth is the lack of documentary evidence of this fact. After all, all of today's centenarians were born long before any population censuses were conducted in the form in which they exist now. Thus, it is difficult to determine exactly who the oldest resident in Russia actually is.

If a person can live to be a hundred years old, then he will easily fall into the category of “the oldest people in the world.” Surprisingly, not so few people lived to be 110 years old, and these statistics are taken from official sources. In this article we will look at the five oldest inhabitants of the planet documented recently. It should be noted that all presented record holders are women.

Maria Esther de Capovilla

Fifth place in the category “oldest people on the planet” is occupied by an Ecuadorian centenarian who lived one hundred and sixteen years and 347 days. She was born in the distant autumn of 1889 and died in 2006. Tellingly, from the end of 2004 until her death, Maria was considered the oldest person. The woman lived almost her entire adult life in her native Ecuador. Married in 1917, Esther de Capovilla gave birth to five children, three of whom were alive at the date of their mother's death. In addition, she had two great-great-grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren and twelve grandchildren.

Maria Louise Mailer

This French-Canadian record holder was included in the list of “oldest people in the world” with an indicator of one hundred seventeen years and 230 days.

She was the oldest inhabitant of the Earth from the end of the summer of 1997 to the beginning of the spring of 1998 (date of death). Marie Louise Mailer was born in 1880 and is still considered the oldest verified native and citizen of Canada.

Lucy Hannah

The top three is rounded out by another resident of North America, who outlived the previous nominee for the “oldest people in the world” rating by 18 days. This US citizen was born in the summer of 1875 and died in the spring of 1993. In addition to being the third on the planet, she is also the second longest living among Americans.

Sarah Knauss

The oldest American woman who has ever lived on Earth. She did not live to see her 120th birthday one year. Her record in the category “oldest people on the planet” is one hundred and nineteen years and 97 days. Throughout 1999 and most of 1998, Sarah Knauss was the oldest centenarian, and in the United States she still holds the top spot in the ranking, despite the fact that she died more than 14 years ago. By the way, her death occurred on December 30, so the elderly American woman did not have enough two days to celebrate the next New Year.

Zhanna Kalman

If all the previous oldest people in the world lived on two American continents, then the first place has been occupied by a European, in particular a French woman, for quite a long time.

She was born in the cold February of 1875, and died in the summer of 1997 at the age of one hundred twenty-two years and 164 days. Even in her very advanced years, Zhanna lived an active life. For example, at 85 she went to study fencing, and at 100 she rode her bicycle along the streets of her hometown. The entire Kalman family was distinguished by longevity. So, her mother lived until she was 86 years old, and her father until she was 99. At 21, the centenarian got married and lived with her husband for 46 years. On her 120th birthday, she was officially recognized as the oldest inhabitant of the planet. On the day of the celebration, she was asked how she pictures the future, to which Zhanna answered - very short. By the way, not all of the woman’s offspring lived a long life. For example, the daughter died in 1934

A man has been found in Asia who claims to be the oldest inhabitant of the Earth. According to official documents, a man named Mbah Goto from the island of Java in Indonesia was allegedly born in the century before last, he is 145 years old, and he is the same age as Vladimir Lenin.

According to the BBC, Goto's passport shows the date of birth as December 31, 1870. However, Goto’s original documents were lost long ago, and he was given a new passport based on his own statements. Therefore, experts cannot assign the Indonesian the official title of the oldest inhabitant of the planet.

Local authorities claim that the elder is not lying, but dates of birth in Indonesia began to be officially recorded only in 1900, and errors in numbers have already occurred before. “Grandfather may simply be making a mistake without malicious intent; it is possible that due to his advanced age (and he, indeed, looks more than a hundred years old) he simply forgot the date of his birth. This has already happened to other centenarians. It is beneficial for officials to support the legend of a supercentenarian in order to attract attention, and therefore tourists and money. In fact, people don’t live that long, it’s something of a fantasy,” record expert Vadim Maksimenko told us.

The secret is patience

According to Goto, he outlived 10 brothers and sisters and buried four wives, the last of whom died about thirty years ago. The Indonesian's children also died long ago. Goto is cared for by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Without outside help he can neither eat, nor drink, nor walk. He listens to the radio almost all the time. In his youth, the centenarian earned his living by farming and fishing.

“Grandfather is unpretentious in everyday life, does not require anything special from food or any special living conditions. True, he continues to smoke, smokes like a steam locomotive,” the great-grandson of the Indonesian, Suryanto, told reporters. - The secret of his longevity is patience. There is a saying in Indonesia: “Patient people will live long lives.”

Goto himself admits that a quarter of a century ago he began to prepare for death and ordered a tombstone for his own grave. “The only thing I want now is to die. But, apparently, the time has not come yet,” admits the centenarian. The scientific community received the news about 145-year-old Goto with skepticism, just as it did news about an allegedly 171-year-old resident of Nigeria and a 163-year-old resident of Ethiopia, whose dates of birth were also not documented.

The oldest inhabitants of the Earth

Meanwhile, the official title of the oldest inhabitant of the planet still remains with 122-year-old Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died 19 years ago. During her lifetime, two world wars took place, the first man flew into space and the Internet was invented.

And the other day, at the 120th year of her life, the Chinese woman Fu Suqing, who was considered the oldest inhabitant of the Earth at that moment, died. The woman is survived by almost 70 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Of the living centenarians, Holocaust survivor 112-year-old Israel Crystal from Israel is recognized as the oldest.

Documents were found in Polish archives that he lived in the city of Lodz in 1918, and at that time he was 15 years old. Crystal was born on September 15, 1903 in Zarnow, which was located on the territory of the then Russian Empire, then his family moved to Lodz, where Israel began working in a confectionery factory. During the Nazi occupation, he and his wife were sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Crystal's wife died. By the end of the war he weighed about 37 kilograms. Then Crystal settled in Israel, where he opened a candy store and married again.

Ukrainian Grigory Nestor lived to be 116 years old. Photo: UNIAN