The oldest person in the world, Kane Tanaka, celebrates her 119th birthday. Tanaka was born on January 2nd, 1903 in Japan and has held the title of the world’s oldest person since July of 2018. She is only the third person in human history to have verifiably reached the age of 119. Her great-granddaughter, Junko Tanaka took to Twitter to share the news of her great-grandmother’s birthday. "Great achievement. Reached 119 years old," Junko tweeted, along with a photo of her great-grandmother from a family visit last month. "I hope you will continue to have fun, cheerful and energetic."
In her full life, Tanaka has lived through both world wars, the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, and five Japanese imperial reigns. And although she lost her husband, Hideo Tanaka, in 1993 at the age of 90, and she’s outlived three of her children, she still has five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Since 2018, Tanaka has been living in a nursing home where she spends her time doing calligraphy, playing Othello, and solving math problems.
Tanaka says that family is important to living a long and happy life, but her most important secret is to be determined and not lose hope. “Since I came so far, I have no choice but to try harder.” she says. “I will do my best!” She hopes she can live to be 120.
Source: CNN