19 April 2011 - Guinness World Records, the global authority on record-breaking, today announces the new 'Oldest Living Man' as 114- year-old Jiroemon Kimura from Kyoto, Japan.
The news comes on Kimura's 114th birthday. He was born in Japan on 19 April 1897 and inherited the title following the death of Walter Breuning (USA) who passed away on 14 April 2011.
Kimura is the third oldest person in Japan after females Chiyono Hasegawa (20 Nov 1896) and Shige Hirooka (16 Jan 1897). He is the last known man living to be born before 1900 and is the only man in the list of the world's 10 oldest people. He is now the sixth oldest person in the world.
Kimura enjoys keeping up to date with current events by reading newspapers with his magnifying glass every morning. His key to a long and healthy life include eating meals in small portions.
Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief, Craig Glenday, commented "With the sad passing of Walter, the world is left with the one remaining man who was alive in the 19th century. It's incredible to think that Kimura's life spans three centuries - when he was born, Dracula had yet to be published, Queen Victoria was a few weeks from her Diamond Jubilee and the Wright Brothers were six years from their first successful test flight. How the world has moved on during his lifetime!"
Currently Guinness World Records recognizes the 'Oldest Living Person' as Besse Berry Cooper (née Brown) (USA), born August 26, 1896.
Main article: List of the verified oldest people
Systematic verification of longevity has only been practised in recent decades. Of the ten oldest people whose age has at some time been verified, two cases are now disputed.Deceased Living Disputed
| Rank | Name | Sex | Reported birth date | Reported death date | Reported age | Country of death |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeanne Calment | F | 21 February 1875 | 4 August 1997 | 122 years, 164 days | France |
| 2 | Sarah Knauss | F | 24 September 1880 | 30 December 1999 | 119 years, 97 days | United States |
| 3 | Lucy Hannah | F | 16 July 1875 | 21 March 1993 | 117 years, 248 days | United States |
| 4 | Marie-Louise Meilleur | F | 29 August 1880 | 16 April 1998 | 117 years, 230 days | Canada |
| 5 | María Capovilla | F | 14 September 1889 | 27 August 2006 | 116 years, 347 days | Ecuador |
| 6 | Tane Ikai | F | 18 January 1879 | 12 July 1995 | 116 years, 175 days | Japan |
| 7 | Elizabeth Bolden | F | 15 August 1890 | 11 December 2006 | 116 years, 118 days | United States |
| 8 | Carrie C. White | F | 18 November 1874 | 14 February 1991 | 116 years, 88 days[5] | United States |
| 9 | Kamato Hongo | F | 16 September 1887 | 31 October 2003 | 116 years, 45 days[6] | Japan |
| 10 | Maggie Barnes | F | 6 March 1882 | 19 January 1998 | 115 years, 319 days | United States |
Addendum
Two claims among the first ten are disputed; accordingly, an addendum with the next two proven claims is listed here.| Rank | Name | Sex | Birth date | Death date | Age | Country of death |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Christian Mortensen | M | 16 August 1882 | 25 April 1998 | 115 years, 252 days | United States[a] |
| 12 | Charlotte Hughes | F | 1 August 1877 | 17 March 1993 | 115 years, 228 days | United Kingdom |
