Who Were The Tallest People Ever? Meet 11 Of The Tallest Men And Women Of All Time

Published June 12, 2024
Updated September 20, 2024

Angus MacAskill: One Of The Tallest People Ever (And The Tallest “True Giant”)

Angus Macaskill One Of The Tallest People Ever

Public DomainAngus MacAskill, left, was not only one of the tallest people ever, but he also possessed incredible strength.

Most of the tallest people ever had some kind of health condition that led to their remarkable height. But Angus MacAskill, who stood 7 feet, 9 inches tall, had no such condition — which makes him the tallest “true giant.”

Born in 1825 in Scotland — his family later migrated to Nova Scotia in Canada — MacAskill grew quickly in adolescence. Some called him Gille Mór (Big Boy) and were impressed by his remarkable strength. MacAskill could purportedly lift a 2,800-pound ship anchor to chest height, carry two 350-pound barrels at a time, and once even picked up a full-grown horse.

By the time MacAskill was in his 20s, P.T. Barnum came calling.

Angus Mcaskill The True Giant

Public DomainAngus MacAskill and General Tom Thumb, another P.T. Barnum performer.

MacAskill agreed to tour with Barnum, and spent several years showing off his impressive physique and feats of strength. Audiences were awed by MacAskill, especially when he stood next to the small performer General Tom Thumb. MacAskill even reportedly visited Queen Victoria, who was so awed that she gifted him with two golden rings.

Not long after that, he was able to return to Nova Scotia with a small fortune, and spent his final years working at a general store. Locals especially liked buying tea from MacAskill, who would serve them by the fistful (which, in MacAskill’s large hands, equaled several pounds).

In 1863, however, Angus MacAskill suddenly fell ill with “brain fever” and died not long afterward around the age of 38. In 1881, Guinness World Records posthumously named him the tallest non-pathological giant in recorded history — thus cementing his place among the tallest people ever.

author
Kaleena Fraga
author
A staff writer for All That's Interesting, Kaleena Fraga has also had her work featured in The Washington Post and Gastro Obscura, and she published a book on the Seattle food scene for the Eat Like A Local series. She graduated from Oberlin College, where she earned a dual degree in American History and French.
editor
Maggie Donahue
editor
Maggie Donahue is an assistant editor at All That's Interesting. She has a Master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and a Bachelor's degree in creative writing and film studies from Johns Hopkins University. Before landing at ATI, she covered arts and culture at The A.V. Club and Colorado Public Radio and also wrote for Longreads. She is interested in stories about scientific discoveries, pop culture, the weird corners of history, unexplained phenomena, nature, and the outdoors.
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Fraga, Kaleena. "Who Were The Tallest People Ever? Meet 11 Of The Tallest Men And Women Of All Time." AllThatsInteresting.com, June 12, 2024, https://allthatsinteresting.com/tallest-people-ever. Accessed February 25, 2025.