Japanese Jiroemon Kimura got into the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest inhabitant of the planet and at the same time as the oldest man in the world. The double title was officially awarded to Kimura last Thursday after turning 115 years and 253 days old, according to the book's official website.
The previous record for longevity among men belonged to the Danish Christian Mortensen, he died in 1998 at the age of 115 years and 252 days. Since December 15 this year, Kimura has been in the hospital.
However, despite his health problems, he is optimistic about life and is in a good mood. The oldest earthling at the moment has seven children, although two of them have already died. In addition, he is the grandfather of 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great-grandchildren.
Kimura was born in 1897, he was three centuries old, witnessed tremendous social progress and technological advances, including the advent of cars, television and the Internet. His reign was the rule of six British monarchs, five emperors of Japan and twenty American presidents. After working forty years in the post office of his hometown, he retired and was engaged in farming until the age of 90.
The oldest man on Earth explains the secret of his longevity by the fact that he is very serious about his diet: "No matter how tasty the food is, you should always eat in moderation." Two and a half months ago, Kimura already entered the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest man in the world, at that time he was ranked third in the list of the oldest people in the world, he was 115 years old and 179 days old.
He moved up to number two on the list of the oldest people on December 5 when American Bessie Cooper died at the age of 116 at the Monroe, Georgia nursing home. At that time, the oldest inhabitant of the Earth was a resident of the United States of Italian descent Dina Manfredini, but she died on December 18 in Johnston (Iowa) at the age of 115.