The oldest woman on earth

In 1875, the United States consisted of 38 states, while Queen Victoria ruled the United Kingdom. At that time, the Eiffel Tower had not yet been constructed and wouldn't be for another 12 years. Similarly, the Empire State Building was still 50 years away from being built. The average life expectancy for a 19th-century woman was around 45 years. However, there was one woman born in that year who would defy those statistics and live a remarkably long life. Her name was Jean-Louis Cow Mal, born on February 21st in Aural, France, just as the global industrial boom was beginning.

Jean was only one year old when the telephone was invented, and two years later, the phonograph followed. As she grew older, she witnessed the advent of the automobile, radio, television, computer, and the internet. By the time Microsoft was founded, Jean had already reached the age of 100. She witnessed the birth of the first smartphone at the age of 117. Jean's longevity was truly remarkable, as she had experienced a world without airplanes and spaceships. The Wright brothers' first flight occurred when Jean was already 28 years old, and she was 86 when the first person went into space. Eventually, Madame Cow Mal set the world record for the longest-lived person, surviving for 122 years and 164 days.

However, doubts began to emerge regarding the authenticity of Jean's age. Some people speculated that she was actually her own daughter, Yvonne. This speculation triggered further investigation by a group of scientists who deemed Jean's extreme longevity too extraordinary not to scrutinize. Jean attributed her long life to a healthy diet, physical activity such as swimming, tennis, and cycling, as well as a carefree and stress-free lifestyle. Skeptics pointed out that in some photos where she claimed to be 110 years old, she appeared to be no more than 90. An expert in aging examined images of Jean closely and found no signs of age-related frailty, which would be expected for someone living past 100, let alone two decades beyond that.

To delve deeper into Jean's background, a mathematician analyzed her genealogy and concluded that the chances of anyone in her family living such an extraordinarily long life were extremely slim. Additionally, there were discrepancies in Jean's recollection of historical events she supposedly lived through. For example, she failed to mention the major cholera outbreak of 1884, which she would have been old enough to remember. There were also inconsistencies in her official documents. Her ID card from the 1930s described her hair and eyes as extremely dark, yet in her later years, her eyes were gray, and her hair had turned chestnut before becoming white.

Another anomaly was Jean's height. Throughout her life, Jean remained at a height of 4 feet 11 inches, which is unusual considering that people typically shrink as they age due to thinning cartilage between the joints. Despite living to 114 years old, Jean's height did not change.

Jean's remarkable longevity largely went unnoticed until she moved to a nursing home in 1985 at the age of 110. There were no mentions in local newspapers about any centenarians celebrating their 100th birthdays a decade earlier. Jean's fame only started to grow in 1988 during the celebration of 100 years since Vincent van Gogh's stay in Aural. She claimed to have met the famous artist when she was 13 years old. Subsequently, Jean appeared in a documentary called "Vincent and Me" in 1990, where she shared her life experiences. At the age of 120, she officially obtained the world record for the oldest person to have ever lived.

However, some inconsistencies in Jean's stories raised further doubts about her identity. She occasionally confused her husband and father in her narratives, initially stating that the family store belonged to her father when it actually belonged to her husband, Ferdinand. Her father, Nicholas Cow Mal, was a shipbuilder and never owned a store. This confusion could be attributed to Yvonne, Jean's daughter, rather than Jean herself.

Another peculiar detail was Jean's mention of a woman named Marta who supposedly accompanied her to school. However, records indicated that Marta was ten years younger than Jean, making it implausible for her to have taken Jean to school. It would have been more reasonable for Marta to accompany young Yvonne instead.

Further examination of photographs revealed a striking resemblance between young Yvonne and older Jean. Facial bone structures, noses, and other features exhibited notable similarities, suggesting the possibility that they were indeed the same person. Another intriguing fact was that Yvonne had a fibroma on the tip of her nose, which Jean also possessed.

In conclusion, the story of Jean-Louis Cow Mal's longevity is a captivating tale that raises questions about her true identity. While some evidence suggests that she may have been her own daughter, Yvonne, other factors such as her exceptional physical condition and the lack of age-related frailty challenge this theory. The mysteries surrounding Jean's long life and the inconsistencies in her narratives continue to fascinate scientists and historians, leaving the true story of Madame Cow Mal's identity and extraordinary lifespan open to interpretation.