If you were a lawyer trying to buy a house from a 90-year-old woman, would you pay the amount upfront or would you strike a deal where you pay her a fixed amount monthly till the end of her life? 

A lawyer named André-François Raffray thought the latter option made for a much better deal – only he didn’t expect the woman to outlive him. However, the woman, Jeanne Calment from France, not only managed to outlive the lawyer but went on to become the oldest person to have ever lived with a recorded age of 122 years and 164 days.

An article on Guinness World Records website details the lucrative deal which allowed Jeanne to earn 2,500 francs monthly for the next three decades of her life. She continued receiving the money from Raffray’s family after he died in 1995 at age 77. The total amount that she received throughout the years, ended up being double the value of her house. Jeanne later passed away on 4 August 1997. 

Jeanne had lived a life of luxury, married to a wealthy man who passed away when she was 67, leaving her the large apartment and helpers who would cook and clean for her. She also had no living heirs after her daughter, son-in-law and their child had all passed away; leaving her to spend her time practising a multitude of hobbies like fencing, hunting, mountaineering, swimming, tennis, roller skating, cycling, and learning music.

When asked about the secret to her long life she reportedly attributed it to a diet rich in olive oil. Although Jeanne had a mostly healthy diet, she was also reportedly a smoker for almost a century. Starting at age 21 and quitting at age 117 after her worsening eyesight made it difficult to use a lighter. 

Guinness World Record says that Jeanne has held the record of the oldest person ever for nearly three decades now and remains the only person on record to have lived for over 120 years.