Supercentenarian
|
|
A supercentenarian (sometimes hyphenated super-centenarian) is someone who has reached the age of 110 years or more, something achieved by only one in a thousand centenarians (0.1%, based on European data). In turn, only about one supercentenarian in fifteen lives to turn 114.
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.
| Contents |
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.
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
The following is a list of the oldest recognized people in the world since 1991 and the period for which they were the titleholder:
| From | To | Name | Age at death | Lived | Town, Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 1991 | August 1997 | Jeanne Calment | 122 | February 211875–August 41997 | Arles, France |
| August 1997 | April 1998 | Marie-Louise Meilleur | 117 | August 291880–April 161998 | Corbeil, Ontario, Canada |
| April 1998 | December 1999 | Sarah Knauss | 119 | September 241880–December 301999 | Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA |
| December 1999 | November 2000 | Eva Morris | 114 | November 81885–November 22000 | Stone, Staffordshire, England |
| November 2000 | June 2001 | Marie Brémont | 115 | April 251886–June 62001 | Cande, Maine-et-Loire, France |
| June 2001 | March 2002 | Maude Farris-Luse | 115 | January 211887–March 182002 | Coldwater, Michigan, USA |
| March 2002 | October 2003 | Kamato Hongo | 116 | September 161887–October 312003 | Kagoshima, Japan |
| October 2003 | November 2003 | Mitoyo Kawate | 114 | May 151889–November 132003 | Hiroshima, Japan |
| November 2003 | May 2004 | Ramona Trinidad Iglesias-Jordan | 114 | August 311889–May 292004 | Utuado, Puerto Rico |
| May 2004 | - | Hendrikje van Andel | June 291890– | Hoogeveen, Netherlands |
Oldest recognized living man
| Name | Born | Died | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shigechiyo Izumi | 29 June 1865 (?) | 21 February 1986 | Oldest man recognized by Guinness Book of World Records |
| Joe Thomas (supercentenarian) | 1 May 1875 | 14 December 1986 | American from Louisiana |
| Herman Smith-Johannsen | 15 June 1875 | 5 January 1987 | Norwegian-Canadian cross-country skier |
| Alphaeus Philemon Cole | 12 July 1876 | 25 November 1988 | Engraver |
| John Evans | 19 August 1877 | 10 June 1990 | British male recordholder |
| Henri Perignon | 14 October 1879 | 18 June 1990 | France |
| James W. Wiggins | 15 October 1879 | 16 October 1991 | USA |
| Frederick L. Frazier | 27 January 1880 | 14 June 1993 | USA |
| Christian Mortensen | 16 August 1882 | 25 April 1998 | Danish immigrant to USA, oldest man widely accepted by scholars |
| Johnson Parks | 15 October 1884 | 17 July 1998 | Black American, lived in Florida |
| Walter Richardson | 7 November 1885 | 25 December 1998 | Illinois |
| Denzo Ishisaki | 20 October 1886 | 29 April 1999 | Only man in post-Izumi years to be oldest person in Japan |
| John Painter | 20 September 1888 | 1 March 2001 | Oldest record available (1900 census) supports the Sept. 1888 birthdate but other records disagree |
| Antonio Todde | 22 January 1889 | 3 January 2002 | Sardinian |
| Yukichi Chuganji | 23 March 1889 | 28 September 2003 | Oldest recognized man in world January 2002–September 2003, in Ogori |
| Joan Riudavets | 15 December 1889 | 5 March 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. | 1 December 1890 | 19 November 2004 | Born in Maine, oldest man in world March–November 2004, died in Jamesville, New York |
| Emiliano Mercado del Toro | 21 August 1891 | - | From Puerto Rico, accepted by Guinness as "oldest living man" on 17 January 2005 (retroactively would be "oldest living man" since 19 November 2004). |
Among the oldest ever
| Name | Age | Born | Died | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benito Martinez | 125 | 1880 | still living | Claimed to be oldest supercentenarian by himself and government of Cuba |
| Jeanne Calment | 122 | 21 February 1875 | 4 August 1997 | Oldest documented supercentenarian |
| Sarah Knauss | 119 | 24 September 1880 | 30 December 1999 | Oldest in United States history, oldest recognized in world 1998–99 |
| Lucy Hannah | 117 | 16 July 1875 | 21 March 1993 | Oldest African American |
| Marie-Louise Meilleur | 117 | 29 August 1880 | 16 April 1998 | Oldest Canadian, oldest recognized in world 1997 – 98 |
| Tane Ikai | 116 | 18 January 1879 | 12 July 1995 | Oldest Japanese woman |
| Christian Mortensen | 115 | 16 August 1882 | 25 April 1998 | Oldest undisputed male, Danish immigrant to US |
| Charlotte Marion Milburn Hughes | 115 | 1 August 1877 | 17 March 1993 | British longevity recordholder |
Among the oldest living, 2005 (113+)
| Name | Born | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hendrikje van Andel | 29 June 1890 | Oldest person in history of the Netherlands, oldest recognized in world after death of Ramona Trinidad Iglesias-Jordan |
| Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden | 15 August 1890 | Oldest verified living American, 2nd-oldest in world; verified Apr. 2005 |
| Bettie Wilson | 13 September 1890 | Formerly oldest verified living American (Dec. 2004-Apr. 2005), 3rd-oldest in world; recordholder for state of Mississippi, where she lives |
| Maria do Couto Maia-Lopes | 24 October 1890 | Oldest woman in history of Portugal, 4th-oldest in world |
| Susie Gibson | 31 October 1890 | Lives in Alabama; 5th-oldest in world; claims birth 1889, 1890 is based on census records |
| Grace Thaxton | 18 June 1891 | Oldest living person in Kentucky, 6th-oldest in world |
| Emiliano Mercado del Toro | 21 August 1891 | Oldest living man (since 19 November 2004), 7th-oldest in world |
| Julie Winnefred Bertrand | 16 September 1891 | Oldest living Canadian, 8th-oldest in world |
| Virginia Dighero-Zolezzi | 24 December 1891 | Oldest person in history of Italy, 9th-oldest in world |
| Camille Loiseau | 13 February 1892 | Oldest living French, 10th-oldest in world |
| M. Gladys Swetland | 18 April 1892 | Oldest living person in Pennsylvania, 11th-oldest in world |
| Lucy D'Abreu | 24 May 1892 | Oldest living person in Scotland and oldest person of Indian descent, 12th-oldest in world |
Notably early and long-lived among supercentenarians
| Name | Born | Died | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delina Filkins | 1815 | 1928 | Herkimer County, New York |
| Betsy Russell Baker | 1842 | 1955 | British immigrant to Nebraska |
National longevity recordholders
Main article: National longevity recordholders
By nation of death or current residence
Emigrant records
| Country | Age | Sex | Name | Born | Died | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 115 | m | Christian Mortensen | 16 August 1882 | 25 April 1998 | died U.S. |
| Cape Verde | 114 | f | Adelina Domingues | 19 February 1888 | 21 August 2002 | died U.S. |
| Germany | 114 | f | Charlotte Benkner | 16 November 1889 | 14 May 2004 | died U.S. |
| Italy | 113 | f | Amalia Ruggieri-Barone | 6 October 1884 | 26 June 1998 | died U.S. |
| India | 113* | f | Lucy D'Abreu | 24 May 1892 | - | lives in UK |
| Morocco | 111 | f | Consuelo Moreno-Lopez | 5 February 1893 | 13 November 2004 | died U.S. |
| Algeria | 111 | m | Emile Fourcade | 29 July 1884 | 29 December 1995 | died France |
| Greece | 110 | m | Gregory Pandazes | 15 January 1873 | 22 December 1983 | died U.S. |
| Peru | 110 | f | Julia Dougherty | 20 August 1893 | 4 December 2003 | died U.S. |
See also
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.)nl:Oudste mens