10 Of World History's Shortest People And Their Astonishing Stories

By Ainsley Brown | Edited By Jaclyn Anglis

Published December 3, 2025

Gul Mohammed, One Of The Shortest People In The World — Whose Record Was Beaten By Chandra Bahadur Dangi

TimenoteGul Mohammed used to hold the title of the shortest man ever.

In 1990, Gul Mohammed was declared not only the shortest man living, but also the shortest man ever. He was 1 foot, 10.4 inches tall.

He was born on Feb. 15, 1957 in New Delhi, India. After many years of a private life, Mohammed took the title of the shortest man in history after he was examined and measured at New Delhi’s Ram Manohar Hospital.

Unfortunately, Mohammed didn’t get to enjoy his fame or his title for very long. He died on Oct. 1, 1997 at 40 years old. He died after a long battle with asthma and bronchitis, which were worsened by his heavy smoking.

After he died, the title of shortest living man unofficially went to Younis Edwan of Jordan, but Edwan’s height was never independently verified.

Mohammed maintained the title of the shortest man ever for many years, until it was ultimately taken by Chandra Bahadur Dangi.

author

Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ainsley Brown is an editorial fellow with All That’s Interesting. She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in journalism and geography from the University of Minnesota in 2025, where she was a research assistant in the Griffin Lab of Dendrochronology. She was previously a staff reporter for The Minnesota Daily, where she covered city news and worked on the investigative desk.

editor

Based in Queens, New York, Jaclyn Anglis is the senior managing editor at All That's Interesting, where she has worked since 2019. She holds a Master's degree in journalism from the City University of New York and a dual Bachelor's degree in English writing and history from DePauw University. In a career that spans 11 years, she has also worked with the New York Daily News, Bustle, and Bauer Xcel Media. Her interests include American history, true crime, modern history, and science.

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Brown, Ainsley. "10 Of The Shortest People In History — And The Big Impact They Had On The World." AllThatsInteresting.com, December 3, 2025, https://allthatsinteresting.com/shortest-people-in-the-world. Accessed December 4, 2025.