Charlotte Kretschmann, 1909 – 2024

Charlotte Kretschmann, the oldest recorded person in Germany, died at the age of 114 in a Kirchheim unter Teck nursing home on August 27. She was born before WWI in Breslau, and was athletic from her youth, winning an 800-meter running medal. She married in 1936; her husband was drafted (at least that was her story) in WWII and served in France. Kretschmann lived alone till suffering a stroke in 2014, and remained chipper and active till the end. She attributed her heath to exercise and a happy childhood; she continued to eat chocolate, drink wine, and have her hair and nails done well into her 110s. She also had an Instagram account—this from someone born before most people had radios or telephones—detailing her daily life.