Jeanne Calment
Jeanne Louise Calment (February 21 1875 - August 4 1997) had the longest (reliably reported) lifespan for any human being in history. Her lifespan has been thoroughly documented by scientific study. She married her second cousin Fernand Calment in 1896, and survived her only child and only grandchild. She died at the age of 122 years 164 days in Arles, France; the same town she was born in. She said that in her younger years, she met Vincent van Gogh, later describing him as "dirty, badly dressed and disagreeable."
At the age of 114, she appeared briefly in the film Vincent and Me as herself. In 1996, she released a CD Time's Mistress. It featured her reminiscing, set to rap and other tunes.
Following her death, Marie-Louise Meilleur of Canada became the oldest person in the world.
