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Emma Morano

Emma Morano.jpg
Morano in 1943
Born
Emma Martina Luigia Morano

(1899-11-29)29 November 1899
Civiasco, Vercelli, Italy
Died (2017-04-15)15 April 2017
(aged 117 years, 137 days)
Verbania, Italy
Resting place Cimitero di Pallanza, Italy
Known for
  • Oldest living person (13 May 2016 – 15 April 2017)
  • Oldest verified Italian person ever
  • Last person living verified to have been born in the 1800s
Spouse(s)
Giovanni Martinuzzi
(m. 1926; died 1978)
Children 1

Emma Martina Luigia Morano (born November 29, 1899 – died April 15, 2017) was an amazing Italian woman. She lived to be 117 years and 137 days old! Emma was known as a supercentenarian, which means someone who lives past 110 years.

From May 13, 2016, until her death, Emma was the oldest living person in the world. She was also the very last person confirmed to have been born in the 1800s. Emma is the oldest Italian person ever recorded. She is also the third-oldest European person in history.

Emma's Early Life

Emma Morano 1900
Morano as an infant in 1900

Emma Martina Luigia Morano was born on November 29, 1899. Her birthplace was Civiasco, a town in Piedmont, Italy. She was the oldest of eight children. Her parents were Giovanni Morano and Matilde Bresciani.

Emma's family had a history of living long lives. Her mother, an aunt, and some of her brothers and sisters lived past 90. One of her sisters, Angela Morano, lived to be 102 years old.

When Emma was a child, her family moved for her father's job. They went from the Sesia Valley to Ossola. However, the weather there was not healthy for them. A doctor told her family to move somewhere with better weather. So, they moved to Verbania, a town on Lake Maggiore. Emma lived there for the rest of her very long life.

In October 1926, Emma married Giovanni Martinuzzi. They had one child in 1937, but sadly, he died when he was only six months old. Emma and Giovanni's marriage was not a happy one. In 1938, Emma separated from her husband.

Emma's Later Years

Emma Morano (old photo) ver2
Emma Morano, 1920s

Emma worked at a factory called Maioni Industry until 1954. This factory made jute products. After that, she worked in the kitchen of a school. It was a boarding school called Collegio Santa Maria. She worked there until she retired at age 75.

In December 2011, Emma received a special award. The President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, gave her the honour of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

Secrets to a Long Life

In 2013, people often asked Emma about her secret to living so long. She shared some of her habits. She said she ate three eggs every day. Sometimes, she would drink a glass of homemade grappa. She also enjoyed eating chocolate from time to time. Most importantly, she believed in thinking positively about the future.

Even on her 115th birthday, Emma was still living by herself in her own home. In 2016, she again mentioned her diet of raw eggs and cookies. She also said that staying single helped her live a long life.

Becoming the Oldest

Emma became the oldest living person in Italy and Europe. This happened after Maria Redaelli passed away on April 2, 2013. On her 114th birthday, Emma gave a short interview on Italian TV. When she turned 116, she received congratulations from Pope Francis.

In August 2014, Emma became the oldest Italian person ever. She passed the age of Venere Pizzinato. In August 2015, she also passed Dina Manfredini, who had lived in the United States.

On May 13, 2016, an American woman named Susannah Mushatt Jones died. After this, Emma Morano became the world's oldest living person. She was also the last person alive who was confirmed to have been born before the year 1900. On July 29, 2016, she received a certificate from Guinness World Records. It officially recognized her as the oldest person alive. Celebrations for her 117th birthday were broadcast live in Italy on November 29, 2016.

Death

Emma Morano passed away at her home in Verbania, Italy. She died on April 15, 2017, at the age of 117. At the time of her death, she was the fourth-oldest person in recorded history. After Emma's death, Violet Brown became the world's oldest living person.

See also

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