We all dream of adding a few extra candles to our birthday cake, but only if we can still think, walk, and enjoy life. The debate over what fuels a long, vibrant existence rages on, with countless theories tossed around. Yet history shows that some individuals have shattered the norm, reaching ages far beyond the century mark while indulging in smoking, chocolate, wine, and other habits most of us would deem unhealthy.
Top 10 Oldest People: Why They Captivate Us
10 Kamato Hongo
Kamato Hongo, a Japanese super‑centenarian, was believed to be the world’s oldest living person from March 2002 until her passing in 2003. Born on the tiny island of Tokunoshima, she later settled in Kagoshima, where she celebrated her 116th birthday just a month before succumbing to pneumonia.
During her later years, Hongo became a minor celebrity, spawning a wave of novelty items—wash‑cloths, key‑rings, phone cards, and the like—featuring her likeness (imagine the fashion statement of a shirt emblazoned with a wrinkled great‑grandmother!). She was 58 when World War II ended, and the Kyushu region, home to Kagoshima, boasts several other longevity record‑holders, making it a veritable island of long life much like Okinawa.
9 Carrie C. White
Carrie C. White earned a Guinness World Record nod as the oldest person on Earth around her 114th birthday in 1988. Residing in a Palatka, Florida nursing home, she wasn’t there because of frailty but due to a nervous breakdown in 1909 that led to a lifetime of institutional care. While some dispute her age, the documentation appears solid enough for her to hold the title of world’s oldest from 11 January 1988 until her death on 14 February 1991.
8 Elizabeth Bolden
Elizabeth Bolden’s records are indisputable, with all paperwork in perfect order. She hails from the United States, which, despite having the most super‑centenarians in absolute numbers, isn’t considered a longevity hotspot on a per‑capita basis. She was one of only seven people worldwide to reach age 116, and her birth in August 1890 marks the last documented birth of that year.
Born Elizabeth Jones in Somerville, Tennessee, she was the daughter of freed slaves. She married Lewis Bolden around 1908, and their first child, son Ezell, arrived on 21 September 1909. Over her lifetime she bore seven children, though only two survived her. Her lineage exploded into a staggering 40 grandchildren, 75 great‑grandchildren, 150 great‑great‑grandchildren, 220 great‑great‑great‑grandchildren, and 75 great‑great‑great‑great‑grandchildren—imagine the family reunions! No detailed lifestyle records were found, but later entries on this list hint at the habits of other super‑centenarians.
7 Tane Ikai
Tane Ikai holds the distinction of being Japan’s oldest female ever recorded, and the first undisputed super‑centenarian whose age is verifiable under the Koseki system introduced in 1879. She outlived her daughter and three sons, moving into a retirement home at 93 where she enjoyed sewing and pottery until a stroke at 99, followed by another at 113 that left her bedridden.
Her daily diet consisted of three meals of rice gruel—a far cry from the more elaborate super‑centenarian diets highlighted later on this list. She ultimately passed away at 116 years and 175 days due to kidney failure. Notably, her body was the first super‑centenarian ever to undergo an autopsy, providing valuable scientific insight.
6 Maria Esther Heredia de Capovilla
Born in Ecuador, Maria Esther Heredia de Capovilla was recognized as the world’s oldest living person until her death, making her the first documented individual to live across three centuries. The daughter of a colonel, she grew up amid elite society, attending social gatherings and art classes, and notably never smoked or consumed hard liquor.
At age 100, she nearly died and was given last rites, yet she remained relatively healthy thereafter. By 116, she could still watch television, read newspapers, and walk unaided. However, by March 2006, her health declined: she could no longer read, stopped speaking, and required assistance from two people to walk, though she could sit upright. She ultimately succumbed to pneumonia just 18 days shy of her 117th birthday.
5 Marie‑Louise Meilleur
Marie‑Louise Meilleur, a French‑Canadian, became the oldest living person after Jeanne Calment’s death and remains Canada’s longest‑lived individual. She died of a blood clot at 117, with her son already residing in the same nursing home and her eldest daughter aged 90—a truly multigenerational household.
She reportedly followed a vegetarian diet while also being described as an “avid cigarette smoker,” a paradoxical combination that adds intrigue to her longevity story.
4 Lucy Hannah
Lucy Hannah, an American super‑centenarian, ranks fourth on this list thanks to her age. She holds the distinction of being the oldest African‑American ever recorded and, at the time of her death, the oldest American overall. Interestingly, she never held the title of world’s oldest living person because her lifespan overlapped with Jeanne Calment’s record‑breaking years.
3 Sarah Knauss
Sarah Knauss stands as the longest‑lived American ever, passing away just 33 hours before the millennium turned. Born in Hollywood, Pennsylvania—a coal‑mining town—she spent her life as a homemaker and insurance office manager. Her daughter, who was 96 at Sarah’s death and lived to 101, remembered her mother as serene and unfazed by anything.
When asked in 1995 why she enjoyed her long life, Sarah replied simply that good health allowed her to keep doing things she loved, such as needlepoint, watching televised golf, and indulging in chocolate turtles, cashews, and potato chips. She died peacefully at the Phoebe‑Devitt Home Foundation Facility, with doctors noting she was in good health and showed no signs of illness—she just quietly “expired.”
2 Shigechiyo Izumi
Shigechiyo Izumi, a Japanese male, is one of the few disputed super‑centenarians whose record remains on the Guinness World Records list. His longevity is notable because most super‑centenarians are women, possibly due to historically harsher, more stressful lives for men.
Izumi’s life was extraordinary: recorded in Japan’s first census of 1871, he worked an astonishing 98 years, retiring only at age 105. He enjoyed brown‑sugar shochu, an alcoholic drink distilled from barley or rice, and surprisingly began smoking at age 70. He claimed his long life resulted from the gods, Buddha, and the sun, having lived through 71 Japanese prime ministers. He died of pneumonia on 21 February 1986, the same day as Jeanne Calment’s 111th birthday. Some researchers suggest his true age may have been 105, but the debate persists.
1 Jeanne Calment
Jeanne Calment, a French super‑centenarian from Arles, holds the crown as the oldest verified human, living to 122 years and 164 days—a span close to the theorized maximum human lifespan of 123‑125 years. She outlived both her daughter and grandson, and at age 113 she famously met Vincent Van Gogh’s centenary, recalling his visit to her father’s shop in 1888.
Calment’s lifestyle was delightfully eccentric: she smoked until age 117, drank port wine, and consumed roughly a kilogram of chocolate each week. She swore by olive oil—rubbing it on her skin, drinking it, and cooking with it—as the secret to her youthful appearance. She took up fencing at 85, rode a bicycle at 100, and remained active well into her 110s. After a cooking accident near her 110th birthday, she moved into a nursing home, where she stayed until a fall at 114 fractured her femur, leading to wheelchair use. She later succumbed to flu just before turning 116.
+ Shirali Muslimov
Shirali Muslimov, a Talysh shepherd from Barzavu in Azerbaijan’s Lerik region, is a controversial figure claiming an astonishing 168 years of life (1805‑1973). The only evidence is a passport stating his 1805 birth year. Some argue he may have been confused with a relative, perhaps his father or grandfather, but the tale remains a captivating legend of extreme longevity.