The oldest person

[Deore]

Who was the oldest person who ever lived (with proof not some wild claim like 'a bloke down my road lived till he was 200')

[Quizmonster]

A French woman, Jeanne Calment, died in 1997 at the age of 122. Her age was known to be accurate, as I understand it, but I'm not totally certain no-one else ever lived longer.

[wildwood]

Elizabeth Israel is reputed to be 128, but as is so often the case with these records, there appears to be some dispute regarding her official birth certificate. Her baptismal certificate confirms her age but is not recognised as an official document. Read more about her at
http://www.thedominican.net/articles/pampo.htm

[Potatoman]

My mum.