jordan pulse -

British woman Ethel Caterham celebrated her 117th birthday at a care home in Surrey, officially becoming the world's oldest living person and the first British individual in recorded history to reach that age, according to Guinness World Records. Caterham received special birthday greetings from the world's oldest living man, João Marinho Neto of Brazil.
​Celebrating alongside her family—which includes three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren—Caterham expressed her happiness and optimism for the year ahead. On her 116th birthday, she received a special visit from King Charles III, during which she lightheartedly recalled his 1969 investiture as Prince of Wales, joking that all the young women at the time were eager to marry him.
​Born on August 21, 1909, in Hampshire, Caterham is the last surviving person born during the reign of King Edward VII. Over her lifetime, she has witnessed monumental historical events, including the sinking of the Titanic, the Russian Revolution, and both World Wars. At age 18, she traveled alone to India to work as a nanny, where she met her late husband, Major Norman Caterham. The couple later established a kindergarten in Hong Kong before returning to the United Kingdom to raise their two daughters, both of whom she has outlived.
​In 2020, Caterham demonstrated exceptional resilience by surviving a COVID-19 infection at the age of 110, making her one of the oldest known survivors of the virus. Despite her historic longevity, the verified record for the oldest person in history remains held by Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who lived to the age of 122 years and 164 days.