The World’s Oldest Woman Has Died Just Shy Of Her 117th Birthday

Susannah Mushatt Jones, who was believed to be the world’s oldest woman and the last living American born in the 1800s, died in Brooklyn, NY, on Thursday, according to The Guardian. Jones was just a month and a half shy of her 117th birthday, which she would have celebrated on July 6. At 116 years old, Jones lived through every major event of the 20th century. She was 21 years old when women got the right to vote, in her 60s during the civil rights movement, and 32 when the Empire State Building was built. According to Business Insider, Jones said her long life was due to her family. Though she never had children of her own, she had a large extended family, who supported her and cared for her in her old age. Also important? Her favourite indulgences: bacon, chewing gum, and sexy lingerie — which she once wore to an EKG appointment, according to Time. “The doctors and nurses were surprised to see her wearing that lingerie, and she said, ‘Oh, sure, you can never get too old to wear fancy stuff,’” her niece, Selbra Mushatt, told the magazine. With Jones’ passing, the oldest person in the world is now believed to be Emma Morano of Verbania, Italy, who is also 116. Morano is a few months younger than Jones was.