Mbah Gotho

Indonesian man who allegedly lived to the age of 146

Saparman Sodimejo, popularly known as Mbah Gotho, was an Indonesian man who gained attention for his claim of having lived over 140 years. Although there is no conclusive evidence to verify his exact age, The Indonesian Government reportedly recognised him as one of the oldest individuals based on an issued ID card.

Mbah Gotho
Born
Saparman Sodimejo

(1870-12-31)31 December 1870
Died30 April 2017(2017-04-30) (aged 146)
Central Java, Indonesia
Cause of deathHeart failure
NationalityIndonesian
Known forBeing possibly the oldest person in history
Height1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)

Mbah Gotho's recollection of his birth date was uncertain, but he vividly remembered the construction of a sugar factory in 1890. In 2010, local authorities registered him as being over 140 years old, and in 2014, he was issued an ID card with a recorded birth date of 1870.

It is worth noting that if Gotho’s reported age was true, he would’ve been the oldest person ever recorded, surpassing the final age of Jeanne Calment of France, the world’s oldest man ever recorded, surpassing the final age of Jiroemon Kimura of Japan, the first recorded person and man to reach the age of 115, which would’ve been before Augusta Holtz of Germany and Christian Mortensen of Denmark both turned 115, as well as the last recorded living man born in the 19th century, following the death of Kimura, as well as being the last living person born in 1800s,following the death of Emma Morano of Italy, and one of three remaining people born during the 19th century at the time of his death, alongside Violet Brown of Jamaica and Nabi Tajima of Japan.

In May 2010, Solopos reported that the census had recorded his next birthday as his 142nd.[1] This would have made him 19 years older than the oldest recorded person, Jeanne Calment, who was 122 years old when she died in 1997.[2][3]

The Liputan 6 website reported that Mbah Gotho's estimated age was 140. He could not remember his date of birth, but claimed to remember the construction of a sugar factory built in Sragen in 1890.[4]

In August 2016, after a television report on Liputan 6, numerous international media outlets reported Gotho's claim.[5][6][7] They then showed photographs of his ID card (issued in 2014), which displays his claimed birth date.

Although Indonesian officials at the local record office confirmed the birth date[8][9] there is no independent proof of his claimed age. That would have been required for the claim about the age to be recognised by record authorities, such as Guinness World Records.[5][10] The Indonesian government did not register births before 1900, and there have been errors in the past.[9]

The Gerontology Research Group commented that this extremely high claimed age was "fiction" and "unbelievable".[11] The story on Liputan 6 noted other similar claims about age. That included a woman named Maemunah and known as Ambu Unah, who had been claimed to be born in 1867, in Cimanuk, Pandeglang Regency.[4][12]

On 28 April 2017 Mbah Gotho was admitted to RSUD Hospital for heart failure in Sragen and died two days later at 5:45 pm local time on 30 April 2017.[13][14]

According to the BBC, he outlived ten siblings, four wives, and all of his children.[9]

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References

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  1. trh (20 May 2010). "Sodimejo, Manusia tertua di Sragen". Solopos (in Indonesian). Surakarta, Indonesia: Aksara Solopos. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  2. Taufiq Sidik Prakoso (25 August 2014). "Inilah Mbah Gotho, Manusia Tertua Asal Sragen yang Kini Berusia 144 Tahun" [Mbah Gotho from Sragen, Oldest Human Now Aged 144 Years]. Solopos (in Indonesian). Surakarta, Indonesia: Aksara Solopos. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  3. Abrori, Fajar (24 August 2016). "Kini Berusia 146 Tahun, Apa Rahasia Panjang Umur Mbah Gotho?" [Now 146 years old, what are Mbah Gotho's secrets of longevity?]. Liputan 6 (in Indonesian). Jakarta: SCTV. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  4. 4.0 4.1 AIS (24 May 2010). "Kakek Berusia 140 Tahun Juga Ada di Sragen". Liputan 6 (in Indonesian). Jakarta: SCTV. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "'Longest living human' says he is ready for death at 145". The Telegraph. London: Telegraph Media Group. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  6. Cain, Kathryn (26 August 2016). "Indonesian man who claims to be world's oldest person aged 145 says he can no longer stand living… and even bought his own gravestone 20 years ago". The Sun. London: News UK. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  7. Connor, Laura (26 August 2016). "Newly discovered 'world's oldest man' is 145-years-old but says he's ready to die". Metro. London: DMG Media. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  8. Knopf, Ehsan (28 August 2016). "Indonesian man claims to be world's oldest person at 145". Nine News. Willoughby, NSW, Australia: Nine Network. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 "'Oldest human' dies in Indonesia 'aged 146'". BBC News. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  10. Piggott, Mark (27 August 2016). "145-year-old Mbah Gotho from Indonesia says he can't wait to die". International Business Times. New York City: IBT Media. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  11. "145-year-old Indonesian man's age doubted by expert". The Nation. Bangkok: Nation Multimedia Group. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 31 August 2016. Archived from the original on 17 July 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  12. "Kakek Karnita 140 Tahun, Nenek Unah 143". Manado Post (in Indonesian). Manado, Indonesia: Jawa Pos News Network. 19 May 2010. pp. 1, 11. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  13. "Content Search". Channel News Asia. 1 May 2017. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  14. "Mbah Gotho Manusia Berusia 146 Tahun Asal Sragen Meninggal Dunia" (in Indonesian). Detik.com. 30 April 2017.