For the past few decades, scientist in polite circles have generally agreed upon the idea that humans couldn’t live much past 120.  This theoretical lifespan limit has been tossed around so often, that it's hard to believe otherwise. Yet, is there any truth to this number?  Well, it’s probably safe to say that few people, if anyone, have lived longer than 130 years, or at least the case has not been documented well enough to be granted passage into the honored halls of Guinness World Records.

Jeanne Calment, the oldest person to ever to live, was a Frenchwoman who died in 1997 at 122 years.  She rode a bicycle until the age of 100 and once met Vincent Van Gogh in her father's painting shop.  Her longevity is linked to her genes, as her father lived to the age of 94 and her mother to the age of 86.

According to Guinness, Japan is home to the world's oldest woman, Kamoto Hongo, who turned 115 this year; the oldest man, 113-year-old Yukichi Chuganji; and the community with the highest proportion of centenarians – 33 people per 100,000 in Okinawa.