The oldest person who ever lived, according to The Guinness Book of World Records and other official documentation, was Jeanne Calment of Arles, France. She lived to be 122.  And many medical experts and scientists have wondered what it was that allowed Calment to live so long. Theories abound, but here are some of the facts of her life:

Calment stayed active and rode her bicycle until she was 100. She ate two pounds of chocolate per week and smoked until she was 117, quitting only when a doctor told her the chocolate was bad for her and she was too blind to light up the cigarettes herself.

She accepted others despite their flaws. When Calment was 14, she sold Vincent Van Gogh canvas and colored pencils from

her father’s shop. She didn’t think much of him, saying he was rude and possibly “loco”—but said she forgave him for it.

Calment’s “It is what it is” philosophy kept her stress-free. “If you can’t do anything about it, don’t worry about it,” she advised.

She was known for her tart sense of humor. Calment once rebuked an interviewer:  “When you’re 117, you see if you remember everything!”

Janaury 2008 Newsletter