Hanna Barysevich
Encyclopedia
Hanna Barysevich (Igumen, ? – Minsk
, Belarus
, February 23, 2007) claimed to be the world's oldest person
, having allegedly been born in 1888. Assuming the May 5, 1888 date is in Old Style
, her birthdate would be May 18, 1888 by modern standards. The claim first made international news in May 2004, and a year later her story resurfaced as "117-year-old has cataract operation to restore sight".
When asked about applying to Guinness World Records
, Hanna stated that she hadn't thought about it. It seems the only evidence of her age is her passport
, although she does have stories of surviving two world war
s, the two 1917 revolutions, and the rise and fall of communism
. Like many old people in Belarus, she spoke a kind of trasianka
(a mix of Belarusian
and Russian
).
This story circulated several times, and "Hanna Barysevich" seemed to be an English transliteration. Other name spellings included "Anna Borisevich" and the Polish
"Anna Borysiewicz." Her birthdate was given as July 1, 1888 in at least one article. Her death date was cited variously as February 23, 2007 and February 27, 2007. The earlier is more likely correct as the early report was written on February 27, 2007, and news usually takes longer than a few hours to get out.
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, February 23, 2007) claimed to be the world's oldest person
Oldest people
This is a list of tables of the verified oldest people in the world in ordinal rank, such as oldest person or oldest man. In these tables, a supercentenarian is considered 'verified' if his or her claim has been validated by an international body that specifically deals in longevity research, such...
, having allegedly been born in 1888. Assuming the May 5, 1888 date is in Old Style
Old Style and New Style dates
Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian...
, her birthdate would be May 18, 1888 by modern standards. The claim first made international news in May 2004, and a year later her story resurfaced as "117-year-old has cataract operation to restore sight".
When asked about applying to Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
, Hanna stated that she hadn't thought about it. It seems the only evidence of her age is her passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
, although she does have stories of surviving two world war
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s, the two 1917 revolutions, and the rise and fall of communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. Like many old people in Belarus, she spoke a kind of trasianka
Trasianka
Trasianka or trasyanka is a Belarusian–Russian mixed language. It can also be described as a kind of interlanguage. It is often labeled "pidgin" or even "creole", which is not correct by any widespread definition of pidgin or creole language. The motivation for labelling Trasianka as...
(a mix of Belarusian
Belarusian language
The Belarusian language , sometimes referred to as White Russian or White Ruthenian, is the language of the Belarusian people...
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
).
This story circulated several times, and "Hanna Barysevich" seemed to be an English transliteration. Other name spellings included "Anna Borisevich" and the Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
"Anna Borysiewicz." Her birthdate was given as July 1, 1888 in at least one article. Her death date was cited variously as February 23, 2007 and February 27, 2007. The earlier is more likely correct as the early report was written on February 27, 2007, and news usually takes longer than a few hours to get out.