Jeanne Louise Calment had the longest confirmed lifespan of 122 years and 164 days for any human being in history. Her lifespan has been thoroughly documented by scientific study; more records have been produced to verify her age than for any other similar case. She entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1988, and in 1993 was declared the oldest person who had ever lived (with proof of age) in the history of the world.
Born in Arles to a well-to-do family, Calment as 14 when the Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889, and had an extremely active life, taking up fencing at age 85, and was still riding a bicycle at age 100. She married her second cousin Fernand Calment, a wealthy storeowner. His wealth made it possible for Calment never to have to work instead she led a relaxed lifestyle, pursuing hobbies like tennis, cycling, swimming, rollerskating, piano and opera.
In 1965, aged 90, with no living heirs, Jeanne Calment signed a deal to sell her former apartment to lawyer André-François Raffray, on a contingency contract. Raffray, then aged 47, agreed to pay her a monthly sum of 2,500 francs until she died, an agreement sometimes called a "reverse mortgage" as Raffray ended up paying more than $180,000 which was more than double the apartment''s value.
In 1985, Calment moved into a nursing home, having lived on her own until age 110. However, she did not gain international fame until 1988, when the centenary of Vincent van Gogh's visit to Arles provided an occasion to meet reporters. She said that at age 14, she met van Gogh in her father's shop, later describing him as "dirty, badly dressed and disagreeable."
At the age of 114, she appeared briefly in the 1990 film Vincent and Me as herself, making her the oldest actress ever. A French documentary film about her life, entitled Beyond 120 Years with Jeanne Calment, was released in 1995. In 1996, the nursing home where she lived released a CD entitled Time's Mistress. It featured her reminiscing, set to rap and other tunes. She was also a smoker and only quit when she was 117 years old. Her fondness for sweets, like chocolate, also continued until the ripe old age of 119. She was the last recognized surviving person of the 1870s.
At age 113, Calment was given the Guinness Records' "world's oldest living person" title. However, in 1990, the title was withdrawn and given to Carrie C. White of Florida, who was claimed to have been born in 1874, although this has been disputed by subsequent census research. On White's death on 14 February 1991, Calment, then a week shy of 116, became the oldest recognized living person. In 1993, she entered the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest living person, whose birth date could be reliably authenticated. On 17 October 1995 Calment reached 120 years and 238 days to become the Guinness Records' "oldest person ever", surpassing Shigechiyo Izumi.
Jeanne was still in good shape, and was able to walk until a fall at age 114 years and 11 months, which required surgery. She reportedly attributed her longevity and relatively youthful appearance for her age to olive oil, which she said she poured on all her food and rubbed onto her skin, as well as a diet of port wine, and nearly 2 pounds of chocolate eaten every week.
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