Hanna Barysevich
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Hanna Barysevich (Anna Adamovna Borisevich; Анна Адамовна Борисевич) of Minsk, Belarus, claimed to be the world's oldest person, having allegedly been born on May 5, 1888 in Buda. She died February 23, 2007. Assuming the 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. Although it seems the only evidence of her age is her passport, her stories of surviving two World Wars, the two 1917 revolutions, and the rise and fall of communism are worth reading about, whether or not her age is proven.
To see where Hanna ranks among the dozen people who currently claim to be older than the current Guinness' world's oldest person titleholder, please see longevity claims.
Like many old people in Belarus, she spoke a kind of trasianka (a mix of Belarusian and Russian).
[edit] Variations
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 and February 27, 2007. The earlier is more likely correct as the early report was written on February 27, and news usually takes longer than a few hours to get out.
