Supercentenarian

A supercentenarian (sometimes hyphenated super-centenarian) is someone who has reached the age of 110 years or more, something achieved by only one among hundreds of centenarians. In turn, only about one supercentenarian in fifteen lives to turn 114.

History

While claims of extreme age have persisted from the earliest times in history, the earliest supercentenarian who has substantial scholarly acceptance is Geert Adriaans Boomgaard, who was born in Groningen, Netherlands, September 21, 1788, and died there February 3, 1899.

Over seven hundred supercentenarians have been documented in history, and this is doubtless a fraction of the number who have really lived, but the majority of claims to this age one finds recorded do not have sufficient documentary support to be regarded as validated. This is slowly changing as those born after birth registration was standardized in more countries and parts of countries attain supercentenarian age.

The oldest documented supercentenarian is Jeanne Calment (1875-1997). While her stories of meeting Vincent Van Gogh or attending the 1885 funeral of Victor Hugo might have been embroidered, her life was documented in the records of her native city of Arles, France, beyond reasonable question.

The Guinness Book of World Records in 1978 accepted the age claim of Shigechiyo Izumi, born June 29, 1865, and died February 21, 1986 (the 111th birthday of Jeanne Calment). However, there is still doubt as to whether he was wrongly conflated with a brother who died young.

For supercentenarians known for anything other than their extreme age, see the centenarians article. Here are a list of other particularly aged individuals:

Timeline of oldest-recognized-living people

Official oldest living person

The following is a list of the oldest recognized people in the world since 1991 and the period for which they were the titleholder:

• Feb 1991 to Aug 1997 : Jeanne Calment (February 1875 - 1997, France)
• Aug 1997 to Apr 1998 : Marie-Louise Meilleur (August 1880 - 1998, Canada)
• Apr 1998 to Dec 1999 : Sarah Knauss (September 1880 - 1999, Pennsylvania)
• Dec 1999 to Nov 2000 : Eva Morris (November 1885 - 2000, Staffordshire)
• Nov 2000 to Jun 2001 : Marie Brémont (April 1886 - 2001, France)
• Jun 2001 to Mar 2002 : Maude Farris-Luse (January 1887 - 2002, Michigan)
• Mar 2002 to Oct 2003 : Kamato Hongo (September 1887 - 2003, Kagoshima)
• Oct 2003 to Nov 2003 : Mitoyo Kawate (May 1889 - 2003, Hiroshima)
• Nov 2003 to May 2004 : Ramona Trinidad Iglesias-Jordan (August/September 1889 - 2004, Puerto Rico)
• May 2004 to present  : Hendrikje van Andel (June 29, 1890 - Hoogeveen)

Oldest recognized living man

• Shigechiyo Izumi (July 29 1865 -Feb 21 1986), oldest man recognized by Guinness Book of World Records
• Joe Thomas (May 1 1875-Dec 14 1986), American from Louisiana
• Herman Smith-Johannsen (June 15 1875 -Jan 5 1987), cross-country skier
• Alphaeus Philemon Cole (July 12 1876 -Nov 25 1988), engraver
• John Evans (Aug 19 1877 - June 10, 1990), British male recordholder
• Henri Perignon (Oct 14, 1879 - June 18, 1990), France
• James W. Wiggins (Oct 15, 1879 -Oct 16 1991), USA
• Frederick L. Frazier (Jan 27 1880 -June 14 1993), USA
• Christian Mortensen (Aug 16 1882 - April 25 1998), Danish immigrant to USA, oldest man widely accepted by scholars
• Johnson Parks (Oct 15 1884 - July 17 1998), black American, lived in Florida
• Walter Richardson (Nov 7 1885 - Dec 25 1998), Illinois
• Denzo Ishisaki (Oct 20 1886 - Apr 29 1999), only man in post-Izumi years to be oldest person in Japan
• John Painter (Sept 20 1888-Mar 1 2001), records inconsistent,if later birthdate is correct then Sadayoshi Tanabe (Oct 1888-Jan 2000) was world's oldest
• Antonio Todde (Jan 22 1889 - Jan 3 2002), in Sardinia
• Yukichi Chuganji (Mar 23 1889 - Sept 28 2003), oldest recognized man in world Jan 2002-Sept 2003, in Ogori
• Joan Riudavets (Dec 15 1889 - Mar 5 2004), oldest person in history of Spain,was oldest recognized European, world's oldest recognized man 2003-4; he rode a bicycle to age 110, on Minorca
• Fred H. Hale, Sr. (Dec 1 1890 - Nov 19 2004), born in Maine, oldest man in world March-Nov 2004, died in Jamesville, New York
• Under investigation after the death of Mr. Hale: Hermann Dörnemann of Germany (born May 27 1893) is recognized by that country's presidential office, documents are said to be en route to researchers. Moses Hardy of the United States claims to have been born some months earlier, and Emiliano Mercado of Puerto Rico claims birth in 1891. Other claims are still being investigated.

Among the oldest ever

• Sarah Knauss (September 24 1880 -Dec 30 1999), oldest in United States history, oldest recognized in world 1998-99
• Lucy Hannah (July 16 1875-March 21 1993), oldest African American
• Marie-Louise Meilleur (August 29 1880 -Apr 16 1998), oldest Canadian, oldest recognized in world 1997-98
• Jeanne Calment (Feb 21 1875 - Aug 4 1997), oldest documented supercentenarian
• Charlotte Marion Milburn Hughes (Aug 1 1877 -Mar 17 1993), British longevity recordholder
• Tane Ikai (January 18 1879-July 12 1995), oldest Japanese woman
• Christian Mortensen (Aug 16 1882 -Apr 25 1998), oldest undisputed male, Danish immigrant to USA

Among the oldest living, 2008

• Hendrikje van Andel (born June 29 1890), oldest person in history of Netherlands, oldest recognized in world after death of Ramona Trinidad Iglesias-Jordan.
• Emma Verona Johnston (born August 6 1890) born in Iowa, lives in Ohio, oldest recognized in United States 2004, holds record for oldest person born in Iowa, 2nd oldest in world
• Ura Koyama (born August 30 1890), oldest in Japan, 3rd oldest in world
• Bettie Wilson (born Sept 13 1890), oldest verified living African-American, 4th-oldest in world and 2nd in U.S.; recordholder for state of Mississippi; lives in Mississippi
• Maria do Couto Maia-Lopes (born Oct 24 1890), oldest woman in history of Portugal, 5th-oldest in world
• Susie Gibson (born Oct 31 1890), lives in Alabama; 6th-oldest in world; claims birth 1889--1890 is based on census records
• Sister Anne Samson (born Feb 27 1891), oldest living Canadian, 7th-oldest in world; lives in Nova Scotia; oldest nun on record
• Grace Thaxton (born June 18 1891), oldest living person in Kentucky, 8th-oldest in world

Notably early and long-lived among supercentenarians

• Delina Filkins (1815-1928) of Herkimer County, New York
• Betsy Russell Baker (1842-1955), British immigrant to Nebraska

National Longevity Recordholders

External links

• Table of validated living supercentenarians (http://grg.org/Adams/E_files/sheet001.htm)

• International Database on Longevity (http://www.supercentenarians.org/)

• World's Oldest People (http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Worlds_Oldest_People/) hosted by Yahoo! Groups

References

• Louis Epstein: The Oldest Human Beings (http://www.recordholders.org/en/list/oldest.html) - list of validly-documented supercentenarians (by age and chronological), including a chronological list of the oldest living listed persons since 1955. (For a time in the 1960s the oldest living person did not reach 110.)

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