Supercentenarian

The term has been around at least since the 1970s (as one citation, Norris McWhirter, editor of Guinness, used the word in correspondence with age claims researcher A. Ross Eckler, Jr in 1976), and was further popularized in 1991 by William Strauss and Neil Howe, in their book entitled Generations. Early references tend to mean simply "someone well over 100" but the 110-and-over cutoff is the accepted criterion of demographers.

1807 – 10 July 1917) photographed on her 110th birthday

History

About eight 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 longest documented lifespan is the 122 years 164 days of 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 claim that Shigechiyo Izumi was born June 29, 1865, and from the 1980 edition considered him the oldest person. He 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 centenarians.

Oldest living people

Official oldest living person

Oldest recognized living man

Among the oldest ever

Among the oldest living, 2005

Notably early and long-lived among supercentenarians

National longevity recordholders

By nation of death or current residence

Emigrant records

See also