World’s Oldest Person Nabi Tajima Dies at 117

Nabi Tajima, a 117-year-old Japanese woman who held the record for being the oldest person in the world, died of old age on Saturday.

According to town official Susumu Yoshiyuki, Tajima had been hospitalized in the southern Japanese town of Kikai since January. The town sits in the Kagoshima prefecture of Kyushu, the southernmost island in the country.

Tajima was born on Aug. 4, 1900, making her the last known person to be born in 19th century. She reportedly had more than 160 descendants by the time of her death, including great-great-great grandchildren.

She held the title of world’s oldest person for seven months after Violet Brown of Jamaica died at the same age of 117 back in September. The title of the world’s oldest now falls to another Japanese woman in Chiyo Miyako, according to the Gerontology Research Group. Miyako will reportedly turn 117 in 10 days and lives just south of Tokyo.

Another native of Japan, Masazo Nonaka, is currently the oldest man in the word at 112 years-old according to the Guinness World Records.

Once the news hit the internet, social media users were shocked when they thought about all the history Miyako had witnessed by living well over a century.

The oldest person in the world has died. She was born in 1900. Think of the history she saw, the wars and then prosperity. The transformation and promise of technology. Then the current peril of our planet. What an extraordinary time to have been alive,” one user tweeted.

“Nabi Tajima was old enough to remember the Titanic sinking,” another wrote.

“Is it safe to say that she ended the 19th century’s 1800s & started the 20th century or our 1st modern-day human? Makes me wonder who will be the [oldest] living that was born in 2000 or 2001?” another user wondered.

“Wow, the fact that she was the last known survivor of the 19th century amazes me. Rest in peace and light, Nabi Tajima,” wrote another.

“The worlds oldest person, Nabi Tajima, died today at 117. That means that 117 years ago there was a completely different set of human beings on the earth. Woah,” another chimed in.