Jeanne Calment

Jeanne Calment was a French supercentenarian who had the longest confirmed human lifespan. She was born in Arles France on February 21st, 1875 and died on August 4th, 1997 She lived in Arles all her life, outliving both her daughter and grandson. She became the oldest living person on 11 January 1988 at 112, one hundred years after encountering Vincent van Gogh, who visited her father's shop. She was declared the oldest person ever on 17 October 1995 at 120.

## Biography

When Jeanne Calment was 12 years old she saw the artist Vincent van Gogh when visiting her father's shop. She described him as disagreeable and smelly and an alcoholic. At age 14 in 1889, she witnessed the opening of the Eiffel Tower and when she was 22 she became married to Fernand Calment and had one daughter at the age of 23 called Yvonne Calment who later died in 1934 aged 36 when Jeanne Calment was aged 59. When she was 87 in 1962 her brother Francois had died. At 90 years old and sold her apartment and her lawyer paid her 2,550 francs per month until she died in exchange for her apartment until she died. The lawyer who payed her money died when Jeanne Calment turned 120 in 1995.

## How did she live so long

Jeanne Calment inherited the right genes from her parents. Her father died at age 93 in 1931 and her mother died at 86 in 1924. Her brother Francois died at age 97 in 1962. So she inherited the best of the genes from both parents and lived 122 years 164 days. She was born a female. Females live 5% longer than men so be female if you want to live close to 120 years. She was born at the right time. For almost all of human history life expectancy has been below 40 years. Even 100 years ago life expectancy was just 30 years. She was also born in a First World Country. All the supercentenarians alive born in the late 19th century were all born in first world countries. She had lots of money as her husband was a wealthy store owner so she never had to work and instead engaged in leisure activities such as tennis roller skating swimming and cycling. She wasnt mentally ill. People with a mental illness die on average 25 years early. Also she wasnt fat. She was positive and had a good sense of humor. Having a good sense of humor and being positive can extend your life.

## Death

On her 122nd birthday on 21 February 1997, it was announced that she would make no more public appearances, as her health had seriously deteriorated. Demographer Jean-Marie Robine, a co-author of a book about Jeanne Calment, reportedly said that this "allowed her to die, as the attention had kept her alive" while the *New York Times* reported Robine to have stated that she had been in good health, though almost blind and deaf, as recently as a month before her death. Jeanne Calment died on 4 August 1997 around 10 am Central European Time of unspecified causes. According to the researchers, the care home committed her body quickly and in a strictly private ceremony to a coffin, which was then solemnly driven by limousine through Arles, stopping at her house in the *rue Gambetta*, and finally to the cemetery, where her doctor placed on her coffin the photographs of her daughter and grandson, in accordance with her wishes.