The tallest person in the world was Robert Wadlow, who famously stood 8 feet, 11 inches tall. But he's far from the only exceptionally tall person from history.
The average height of men and women around the world varies widely based on the country. But today, men often stand somewhere between 5 feet, 4 inches and 6 feet tall, and women usually stand somewhere between 4 feet, 11 inches and 5 feet, 7 inches tall. That said, some people have towered far above these modern average heights throughout history. So who are some of the tallest people ever?
The tallest man ever recorded was Robert Wadlow, a “gentle giant” from Alton, Illinois. Standing 8 feet, 11 inches tall, Wadlow tragically died at age 22 in 1940, but shockingly, he still holds the record for the tallest man in the world to this day. However, some of the other tallest people in the world have come surprisingly close to Wadlow’s height, such as John Rogan of Hendersonville, Tennessee, who stood 8 feet, 9 inches tall.
Interestingly enough, some online lists covering the tallest people ever include a variety of different names. There are plenty of “alleged” heights recorded throughout the centuries that were never officially confirmed. The further back in time you go, the more difficult it is to verify such claims. But today, we’ll be focusing on the verified record holders for tallest man, tallest woman, and even the tallest couple, as well as other famous “giants.”
Vintage_Space/Alamy Stock PhotoOne of the tallest people ever, Robert Wadlow had reached a height of almost 9 feet when he died at age 22.
Sadly, many of the tallest people in the world had serious health conditions that led to their height, such as Wadlow, who suffered from hyperplasia of the pituitary gland and an abnormally high level of human growth hormones in his body. As such, most of these record holders struggled with poor health throughout their lives — and often died tragically young.
However, some figures, like the 7-foot, 9-inch-tall Angus MacAskill, were famous for being “true” giants (meaning that their height was not caused by a health condition). In fact, MacAskill, a Scottish-born Canadian, was also well-known for his superior strength. During his performance career, he displayed his talents for Queen Victoria, who dubbed him “the tallest, stoutest, and strongest man to ever enter the palace.”
Read on to learn the stories of some of the tallest people ever, from the verified tallest person of all time to the tallest people alive right now — including Sultan Kösen, the tallest living man in the world. Some of these figures became celebrities, and yet others were determined to live the most normal lives possible. But they all loomed above the rest of us.
Robert Wadlow: The Tallest Person Ever
Robert Pershing Wadlow was a big baby. But not that big. When he came into the world on February 22, 1918, he weighed a healthy 8.7 pounds. As Wadlow started to grow, however, he never really stopped growing.
By his first birthday, Wadlow weighed 45 pounds and stood more than 3 feet tall. By the time he was five, he was over 5 feet tall and wearing clothing meant for adolescents. And by the time Wadlow was eight, he’d started to loom over his father, who stood 5 feet, 11 inches tall.
Public DomainRobert Wadlow and his father, who stood around 5 feet, 11 inches tall.
When Wadlow became a preteen, his family finally learned what was behind his meteoric growth. At the age of 12, doctors diagnosed him with hyperplasia of the pituitary gland. This meant that Wadlow had an unusually high level of human growth hormones in his body. It also meant that by the time he graduated high school, he stood 8 feet, 4 inches tall.
And Wadlow wasn’t done growing.
For the rest of his life, Wadlow’s height continued to “inch” upward. Though Wadlow enjoyed normal activities like stamp collecting and photography, his unusual height made him something of a celebrity. In 1936, he joined the Ringling Brothers Circus, where Wadlow’s impressive height was often compared with that of his fellow performer, the tiny Major Mite.
Getty Images/New York Daily News ArchiveRobert Wadlow and Major Mite comparing shoe sizes.
Sadly, Wadlow’s height also caused him a number of health problems. Wadlow had to use a cane and leg braces to get around, and suffered from a lack of feeling in his legs and feet. And when he was 22, Wadlow didn’t notice when a blister formed on his leg after wearing a badly-fitting brace. The blister became severely infected, and Wadlow died on July 15, 1940.
He was 8 feet, 11.1 inches tall. And if Robert Wadlow hadn’t died young, it’s possible that he would have simply kept getting taller.
