Jeanne Calment

Who was Jeanne Calment?

Jeanne Louise Calment was a French supercentenarian who had the longest confirmed human lifespan on record, living to the age of 122 years, 164 days. She lived in Arles, France, for her entire life, outliving both her daughter and grandson by several decades. Calment became especially well known from the age of 113, when the centenary of Vincent van Gogh's visit brought reporters to Arles.

Calment became the last living documented person born in the 1870s when the Japanese supercentenarian Tane Ikai died on 12 July 1995. Her lifespan has been thoroughly documented by scientific study. More records have been produced to verify her age than in any other case.

Famous Quotes:

• 'Every age has its happiness and troubles.'
• 'Always keep your smile. That's how I explain my long life.'
• 'I'm interested in everthing but passionate about nothing. '
• 'My sight is bad, my hearing is bad, I feel bad, but I don't suffer, I don't complain.'
• 'When I'm laid in my coffin, I want you to put a picture of my grandchild to the right of me and and a picture of my daughter to my left. That way they will be buried with me.'