Last known person born in the 19th century dies in Japan at age of 117
The world's oldest person, a 117-year-old Japanese woman, has died.
Nabi Tajima died of old age in a hospital Saturday evening in the town of Kikai in southern Japan, town official Susumu Yoshiyuki confirmed. She had been hospitalized since January.
Tajima, born on Aug. 4, 1900, was the last known person born in the 19th century. She raised seven sons and two daughters and reportedly had more than 160 descendants, including great-great-great grandchildren. Her town of Kikai is a small island of about 7,000 people halfway between Okinawa and Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands.
She became the world's oldest person seven months ago after the death in September of Violet Brown in Jamaica, also at the age of 117. Video shown on Japanese television showed Tajima moving her hands to the beat of music played on traditional Japanese instruments at a ceremony to mark the achievement.
Read more: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/nation-world/ct-worlds-oldest-person-dies-in-japan-20180421-story.html
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I don't get how she was born in the 19th century though if the was born in 1900? Ha, she was a Leo. 
And, then I googled..
"The 20th century was a century that began on January 1, 1901 and ended on December 31, 2000. It was the tenth and final century of the 2nd millennium. It is distinct from the century known as the 1900s which began on January 1, 1900 and ended on December 31, 1999."
Gracias TexasT
We kept thinking the 21st century started in 2000, when it really started in 2001. And this woman's life spanned all three of them! My grandmother came close, she was born on September 13, 1900 and she lived until September 2, 1998... 
Rhiannon! I can see you miss her.
My grandmothers were both born in 1895 and they both passed on in their late '70s as did my Mom.
117 years old for Nabi Tajima ! Wonder what her diet was?
My grandfather died suddenly at 48, left her with four children to raise, my Dad was the eldest boy at 12. But she was a teacher and valued education - and all of them went to college.
And in her 80s she met a wonderful "significant other" who really wanted to marry her. He was a pretty amazing man and the closest thing I had to a grandfather, he was an ordained minister, had been president of a college and was forced to retire as head of the YMCA worldwide at 65 - in 1962! So he started a whole new career - moved to NC and worked for integration in the '60s. He was born in 1897(!) and lived a very active life until he died at 101! When he celebrated his 100th, I talked with my grandmother about planning hers. When she passed away, one of the nurses at their retirement community said that couples often follow each other, and he died unexpectedly on Christmas Eve three months later.
I also visited what was then Soviet Georgia with both of them and their peace group in the late '80s. If you remember, there used to be commercials about how the yogurt they ate there led to longevity. So I was determined to try it when it was offered, but I couldn't choke it down... 
Grandmother and her SO.. Cool. She's sounds brilliant!
Yeah, I doubt if Dannon yogurt has any of the live pro-biotic properties that you tasted briefly in Georgia. Nice commercial, tho.
And that's where I got to know Paul. She knew him, but that's where they really got together. He'd call up on the phone wherever we were staying and she'd make me answer the phone, like I knew someone who'd be calling in Russia, LOL. And it took her awhile - he'd ask her to go out shopping, but she kept sending me! But he confided in me and I passed that on to our very nice guide, so she started treating them as a couple. She was 86 and he was almost 90 - and they remained a couple for the next 12 years! 
And you're right - the yogurt they offered in Soviet Georgia was nothing like we were used to here! 
She was born January 1st, 1901. She died at 91 in Feb 1992. She had a number of health problems all her life so it was amazing that she even lived that long. Most of her siblings lived into their 90's as well.
It's so interesting to see how long some of these people lived, yet they didn't really exercise (not the way we are taught to do), ate pretty much whatever they wanted, and some of them even drank and smoked most of their lives. The main thing I can think of is that they had closer family ties and grew up in tighter knit communities - more emotional security. I think the stress of modern living is really what kills us off early.
And lived to the week before her 98th birthday. I still miss her so much, but I kept telling myself to have expected her to still be with us was unrealistic. They must be doing something right in Japan!
Think how many changes she must have seen..We should all be so lucky.
