Jiroemon Kimura, The Oldest Man In History
YouTubeJiroemon Kimura died at the age of 116 in 2013.
Though there are several women throughout history who have outlived him, we’ll turn now to the world’s oldest verified man: Jiroemon Kimura of Japan, who died in 2013 at the age of 116 years and 54 days.
Born in April 1897 in a small fishing village, Kimura lived a relatively normal life. The Guardian reports that he left school at the age of 14 and then went to work at a local post office, a job he held until he turned 65. After leaving the post office, Kimura worked on a farm until the age of 90.
What’s Kimura’s secret to a long life? It might be in his genes. Not only did Kimura live to the age of 116, but four of his siblings lived past 90, including a brother who died at 100. But Kimura wasn’t sure why he had lived so long.
Guinness World Records/FacebookJiroemon Kimura still holds the record as the oldest man who ever lived.
“Maybe it’s all thanks to the sun above me,” he said, according to the BBC. “I am always looking up towards the sky, that is how I am.”
The Guardian additionally reports that Kimura watched what he ate, woke early, and stayed up to date on current events by reading the newspaper and watching parliamentary debates on TV. His granddaughter-in-law, Aiko, also suggested that Kimura’s positive outlook helped extend his life.
To date, Kimura still holds the record for the oldest man to ever live. But this title may have some competition. So far, we’ve covered some of the oldest people to ever live, but what about the oldest people alive today?
Juan Vicente Pérez Mora, Once The Oldest Living Man In The World
OrchestralHuman/Wikimedia CommonsAt 114 years old, Juan Vicente Pérez Mora was the oldest verified man alive in early 2024.
In early 2024, the oldest verified living man in the world is 114-year-old Juan Vicente Pérez Mora, who resides in Venezuela.
Born in 1909, Reuters checked in with him in 2022 and found that, aside from slightly elevated blood pressure and hearing loss, Pérez Mora was feeling well overall. Despite his advanced age, he didn’t even take any medications.
“My dad is in very good health. He does not suffer from any disease that requires medical treatment,” his daughter Nelyda Pérez told Guinness World Records. “The whole family is very grateful for my daddy’s health.”
Public DomainJuan Vicente Pérez Mora and his wife on their wedding day.
So what’s the secret to Pérez Mora’s longevity? Like other supercentenarians on this list, Pérez Mora lived a fairly normal life. The Catholic News Agency reports that he started working around the age of five, helping his father and siblings to harvest sugar cane and coffee. Though his formal education was cut short due to his teacher’s serious illness, Pérez Mora nevertheless learned to read and write, and eventually worked as a sheriff.
Pérez Mora attributes his impressively long life to a number of things. He told Guinness World Records that the secret to his longevity is to “work hard, rest on holidays, go to bed early, drink a glass of aguardiente [a strong alcoholic spirit] every day, love God, and always carry Him in your heart.”
