Indonesia says this man is 146 years old


Any living being born in 1870 that is still alive today is either a turtle or a clam, with the apparent exception of an Indonesian man who just celebrated his 146th birthday. Mbah Gotho claims to be the oldest person to have ever lived, with his ID allegedly proving he was born in the same year that the 15th Amendment was ratified, The Independent reports.
Indonesian records can reportedly confirm that Gotho came into the world in a small village in Central Java on December 31, 1870. If those records are to be believed, then the second oldest person to have ever lived is confirmed as a Frenchwoman named Jeanne Calment, who was 122 when she died. Many others have claimed to be the oldest living people, but verifiable documents are required before the record can be confirmed.
Gotho, meanwhile, has been preparing for death since 1992; he had his gravestone made up 24 years ago. In 2016 he told local news that "what I want is to die."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But if you have aspirations to make it as long as Gotho, he said "the recipe is just patience." A whole, whole lot of patience.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
What are blue slips and why does Trump want to end them?
Today's Big Question The practice lets senators block a president's judge and prosecutor nominees
-
What are 'freakosystems' and how are they affecting the planet?
The explainer Ecosystems are changing permanently
-
'The question is what it does for the ecosystem'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play