Oldest people ever

 Jiroemon Kimura from Kyoto, Japan, Turns 114 Today
19 April 2011 - Guinness World Records, the global authority on record-breaking, today announces the new 'Oldest Living Man' as 114- year-old Jiroemon Kimura from Kyoto, Japan.

The news comes on Kimura's 114th birthday. He was born in Japan on 19 April 1897 and inherited the title following the death of Walter Breuning (USA) who passed away on 14 April 2011.


Kimura is the third oldest person in Japan after females Chiyono Hasegawa (20 Nov 1896) and Shige Hirooka (16 Jan 1897). He is the last known man living to be born before 1900 and is the only man in the list of the world's 10 oldest people. He is now the sixth oldest person in the world.
Kimura enjoys keeping up to date with current events by reading newspapers with his magnifying glass every morning. His key to a long and healthy life include eating meals in small portions.
Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief, Craig Glenday, commented "With the sad passing of Walter, the world is left with the one remaining man who was alive in the 19th century. It's incredible to think that Kimura's life spans three centuries - when he was born, Dracula had yet to be published, Queen Victoria was a few weeks from her Diamond Jubilee and the Wright Brothers were six years from their first successful test flight. How the world has moved on during his lifetime!"
Currently Guinness World Records recognizes the 'Oldest Living Person' as Besse Berry Cooper (née Brown) (USA), born August 26, 1896.

 

Main article: List of the verified oldest people

Systematic verification of longevity has only been practised in recent decades. Of the ten oldest people whose age has at some time been verified, two cases are now disputed.
      Deceased       Living       Disputed

Rank	Name	Sex	Reported birth date	Reported death date	Reported age	Country of death
1	Jeanne Calment	F	21 February 1875	4 August 1997	122 years, 164 days	France
2	Sarah Knauss	F	24 September 1880	30 December 1999	119 years, 97 days	United States
3	Lucy Hannah	F	16 July 1875	21 March 1993	117 years, 248 days	United States
4	Marie-Louise Meilleur	F	29 August 1880	16 April 1998	117 years, 230 days	Canada
5	María Capovilla	F	14 September 1889	27 August 2006	116 years, 347 days	Ecuador
6	Tane Ikai	F	18 January 1879	12 July 1995	116 years, 175 days	Japan
7	Elizabeth Bolden	F	15 August 1890	11 December 2006	116 years, 118 days	United States
8	Carrie C. White	F	18 November 1874	14 February 1991	116 years, 88 days[5]	United States
9	Kamato Hongo	F	16 September 1887	31 October 2003	116 years, 45 days[6]	Japan
10	Maggie Barnes	F	6 March 1882	19 January 1998	115 years, 319 days	United States

Addendum

Two claims among the first ten are disputed; accordingly, an addendum with the next two proven claims is listed here.

Rank	Name	Sex	Birth date	Death date	Age	Country of death
11	Christian Mortensen	M	16 August 1882	25 April 1998	115 years, 252 days	United States[a]
12	Charlotte Hughes	F	1 August 1877	17 March 1993	115 years, 228 days	United Kingdom