Oldest Living Human Being Ever Smoked until she was 117.

[Dawggie]

Just imagine how long she would have lived if she hadn't smoked?

"Jeanne Louise Calment (IPA: <ʒan lwiːz kal'mɑ̃>; February 21, 1875 – August 4, 1997) was a French woman who reached the longest confirmed lifespan in history at 122 years and 164 days (44,724 days in total). Her lifespan has been thoroughly documented by scientific study; more records have been produced to verify her age than for any other case.<1>

<snip>

In 1985, Calment moved into a nursing home, having lived on her own until age 110. Nevertheless, she did not gain international fame until 1988, when the centenary of Vincent van Gogh's visit to Arles provided an occasion to meet reporters. She said that at age 14, she met van Gogh in her father's shop, later describing him as "dirty, badly dressed and disagreeable." She also reported attending the 1885 funeral of Victor Hugo.

At the age of 114, she appeared briefly in the 1990 film Vincent and Me as herself, making her the oldest actress ever. A French documentary film about her life, entitled Beyond 120 Years with Jeanne Calment, was released in 1995. In 1996, the nursing home where she lived released a CD entitled Time's Mistress. It featured her reminiscing, set to rap and other tunes. She was also a smoker and only quit when she was 117 years old.<2> Her fondness for sweets, like chocolate, also continued until the age of 119. She was the last recognized surviving person of the 1870s.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Calment

Saw this on a Guinness World Records show last night and got a chuckle out of it.

[opihimoimoi]

1. Wonderful Post.....Loved it....T/Y

[cyberswede]

2. They say you're never too old to quit n/t

[cloudbase]

3. It's good for you!

[shadowknows69]

4. Don't try this at home kids

I'm 38 and was just diagnosed with a degenerative lung disease due to smoking. Just thought I should throw a dash of contrast into this soup.

[spinbaby]

7. It helps to have good genes

My mother in-law has been chain smoking for over 50 years with no apparent harm to her health. But she was lucky enough to inherit great genes from her family, many of whom lived to be over 100.

[dmallind]

5. And the plural of anecdote is still not "data". NT

[SpiralHawk]

6. I once met an elder in Mexico who was 105, and...

he talked to me at length while puffing away on ciggies. He lived to be 107.

With a wink, he said the secret to his long life was having married a "younger woman." His wife was sitting beside him when he said that, and she laughed aloud. She was 99, and enjoying her own smoke...

Go figure...

[papau]

8. chocolate - a wonder drug :-)

[dmallind]

9. let's booze it up too!

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9400E4D8133EE73BBC4F52DFBE668382669FDE

[BurtWorm]

10. Where is she now, huh?

What's that you say? She's dead?

They may take their time, but cigarettes always get you. Mark my word.

:patriot:

[Dawggie]

12. Those daned things killed her! Just liik at the OT to see how long we can live!

[tuckessee]

11. I saw an interview with her & she only quit smoking because

she was blind and afraid she would start a fire.

[opiate69]

13. Yeah, but how many people did she kill with her secondhand smoke???

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[EvolveOrConvolve]

14. My great-grandfather smoked from age 13 until the age of 99

Right after his 99th birthday, the doctors told him he had lung cancer and he quit smoking and moved into a nursing home. The cancer turned out to be a false positive, but by the time they figured it out, he'd lost all the will to live and died six months after entering the nursing home.

Go figure...

[Bonobo]

15. I quit smoking cigarettes 1 year and 9 months ago after smoking for about 20 years.

The most I ever smoked when I was addicted was one pack a day, but mostly I smoked between a quarter pack and a half pack. 20 years. No exercise either.

At 37, I started Karate. Kept smoking for about 1 year and a half into it. When I got good enough, I realized I couldn't do both. I had tried to quit maybe a dozen times. Longest time that worked was 6 months or a year previously.

I know I am done now. I feel great. Everyone SHOULD quit. Then, after you have quit, then decide whether you want to take it up again. I guarantee you will not. Because it is the nictotine that makes you THINK you THINK that you want to smoke.

Trust me.