Hanna Barysevich

Who was Hanna Barysevich?

Hanna Barysevich claimed to be the world's oldest person, having allegedly been born in 1888. Assuming the May 5, 1888 date is in Old Style, her birthdate would be May 18, 1888 by modern standards. The claim first made international news in May 2004, and a year later her story resurfaced as "117-year-old has cataract operation to restore sight".

When asked about applying to Guinness World Records, Hanna stated that she hadn't thought about it. It seems the only evidence of her age is her passport, although she does have stories of surviving two world wars, the two 1917 revolutions, and the rise and fall of communism. Like many old people in Belarus, she spoke a kind of trasianka.

This story circulated several times, and "Hanna Barysevich" seemed to be an English transliteration. Other name spellings included "Anna Borisevich" and the Polish "Anna Borysiewicz." Her birthdate was given as July 1, 1888 in at least one article. Her death date was cited variously as February 23, 2007 and February 27, 2007. The earlier is more likely correct as the early report was written on February 27, 2007, and news usually takes longer than a few hours to get out.