Centenarians - and then some

The woman in the photo at the top recently surfaced in a census in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. According to her passport, Sakhan Dosova was born in 1879, making her the oldest person alive - she celebrates her 130th birthday tomorrow! Also pictured is Jeanne Calment (1875-1997) of Arles, France, who was declared the oldest person who had ever lived in 1996. Her 122-year lifespan has been thoroughly documented, with more records having been produced to verify her age than for any other case, but my favorite fact about her is anecdotal: When she was 14, she sold pencils to Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)!