Was This the World's Oldest Person Ever?

Emma Morano was the world's only living person verified as having been born in the 19th century before her death last month at 117. But Sodimedjo of Indonesia claimed to have three decades on her and two decades on the world's oldest recorded person before his death Sunday. Sodimedjo said he was born in December 1870, which would have made him 146, but that date is not officially recognized because Indonesia began recording births only in 1900, reports the Guardian. Sodimedjo, a heavy smoker who outlived four wives, previously told the BBC he lived a long life "because I have people that love me looking after me." The official title of oldest person goes to Jeanne Calment of France, who died in 1997 at age 122. (More oldest person stories.)