Our article will talk about the largest and tallest people on our planet Earth. Is life easy for them, why are they so tall, and who is assigned the “palm of championship”?

The tallest man in the shortest country

One of the biggest men on the planet, ironically, lives in stunted China. Now in this country the tallest person is Bao Xishun, whose height is 236 centimeters. But this is according to official data. In fact, the record holder for height can be considered a former basketball player named Zhao Liang.

One day a young man was admitted to one of the hospitals. He had to have surgery on his leg. Doctors measured the height of the 27-year-old athlete, and he was 10 centimeters taller than Bao Xishun, that is, 246 centimeters. However, representatives of the Guinness Book of Records did not record his record.

According to the local press, Zhao Liang ended his sports career more than 10 years ago. The basketball player suffered a serious leg injury. For some time he could not find a job, so in 2006 he got a job as an artist in a traveling circus. It is reported that the Chinese giant does not have any problems due to his height. True, the parents are very worried about their son. But mainly because of work and upcoming marriage.

The biggest man in Russia

Residents also stood out for their height Russian Empire. A great man was an ordinary peasant from the Staroselsky volost of the Vitebsk province (now Belarus) Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov. According to some reports, he was the tallest man on Earth in history. His height was exactly 2 meters 85 centimeters, although this data is difficult to verify, and this fact is not recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.

Fyodor Makhnov was born into a poor family on June 6, 1878. His parents, as well as his brothers and sisters, were above average height, but they were not giants. Fedor in his youth grew to 2.5 meters. His foot was 51 centimeters and his palm 32 centimeters. The young peasant weighed 182 kilograms and was reputed to be very strong.

Fyodor Makhnov worked in a circus and traveled around the world. But when he got tired of entertaining the public, he returned to his native land. Together with his wife Efrosinya Lebedeva, he settled in the village of Gorbachi, which was nicknamed the “Giant Farm”. The name came about for a reason. The giant's wife was not short herself: her height was about 215 centimeters. Five children in the family have almost reached the two-meter bar.

Fyodor Makhnov died at the age of 34, on August 28, 1912. The suspected cause of death is lung disease. Although, there are other versions. They say that the giant was poisoned by rivals and envious people, however, there is no evidence of this.

The record holder was buried in a local cemetery, but in 1939 he was exhumed for scientific research. The coffin and monument were not touched. On the obelisk you can still read: “Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov. Born June 6, 1878. Died on August 28, 1912. The tallest man in the world. He was 3 arshins 9 inches tall.” The height on the monument is indicated at the time of Fyodor Andreevich’s 16th birthday. After that, he grew another 31 centimeters. The giant's wife wanted to correct the data on the tombstone, but she was prevented by the first World War, and after the revolution.

The largest man in the world among our contemporaries

Until recently, the most big man on the planet lived in Ukraine, in the village of Podolyantsy. Leonid Stadnik was 253 centimeters tall and weighed more than 200 kilograms. Unfortunately, he died in August 2014 from a cerebral hemorrhage at 44 years old. The Ukrainian also had the largest palm in the world - it is exactly 31 centimeters.

The Ukrainian was born in 1970. Since childhood, Leonid was not like ordinary people. But he was different not only in height. At school the boy got only straight A's and received a certificate with honors. The situation at the institute has not changed and Stadnik graduated from the university with honors. The Ukrainian became a certified veterinarian.

Leonid Stadnik began growing at an alarming rate at the age of 12. It was during this time that he underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his brain. The surgeons damaged the pituitary gland, as a result of which the boy’s metabolism was disrupted.

Leonid's shoe size is 62. By the way, the size fell slightly short of the absolute world record, which is held by a Pakistani named Ajaz Ahmet. He has a size 74 foot - the largest big size feet on the planet. For Leonid Stadnik, the real problem is getting suitable shoes. In the shop the right size don't buy. Because of this, the man at one time could not even go outside. However, there were kind people who helped the Ukrainian. They made suitable boots especially for him. Moreover, a plaster block was used for manufacturing. Regular ones are too expensive to make one pair of shoes out of.

It is worth noting that Leonid did not want to be included in the Guinness Book of Records. For a long time he refused official measurements. But in August 2007, he succumbed to the persuasion of representatives of the Guinness Book of Records, and he was awarded the title of record holder. But a year later, when new measurement principles were introduced, he refused to be measured by independent judges, so he lost this status. He did not want once again attract attention and create a buzz around yourself and your family.

The title of the tallest living man in the world belongs to Sultan Kesen, who lives in Turkey. His height, according to official data from the Guinness Book of Records, is 251 centimeters. Again, these parameters are due to a pituitary tumor. His parents are of absolutely normal height, which cannot be said about their son. Unfortunately, he can only walk on crutches. Since 2010, he had undergone radiation treatment to control his hormones, and after two years, doctors were able to stop his growth.

Due to his illness, the Sultan was unable to finish high school. He began working as a farmer: his height allows him to trim tall trees, screw in light bulbs and do other housework. But again, it is difficult for him to choose clothes and shoes, and it is also cramped in small cars.

The biggest man on earth

The tallest man in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is Robert Pershing Wadlow. He was born in 1918 in Manistee, Michigan. The man suffered from acromegaly and a pituitary tumor. Robert lived only 22 years and grew throughout his life. At the time of his death, his height was 272 centimeters, and his weight was 199 kilograms. Thus, Robert Pershing Wadlow was 19 centimeters taller than Leonid Stadnik.

Robert's parents were short. The younger brothers and sisters were of normal height. And Waldow himself grew and developed normally until the age of 4, and had an average weight and height. However, after that he began to grow rapidly and thereby attract attention to his own person. At the age of 8, he had already grown to 1 meter 88 centimeters; a year later he could carry his father up the stairs in his arms, and at the age of 10 he reached a height of 198 centimeters and weighed 100 kilograms. Robert came of age with a height of 254 centimeters and a weight of 177 kilograms. Moreover, his foot was almost half a meter (shoe size 37AA). By this time, the young man was already so popular that they made shoes for him for free.

The young giant studied at school and received his matriculation certificate at the age of 18. Then I went to study law at university. At the same time, he traveled the length and breadth of the United States with the circus. Since 1938, he began to participate in various tours, where public performance always caused quite a stir. The crowd called him nothing more than “the good giant.”

On his 21st birthday, Wadlow was 263 centimeters and weighed 223 kilograms. The hand from the wrist to the end of the middle finger was exactly 32.4 centimeters. As Robert Wadlow grew older, his health deteriorated. He had limited sensation in his legs, so he walked only with crutches.

On June 27, 1940 it was measured at last time: then his height was 272 centimeters. A few days later, the young man performed in Manicity on Independence Day, rubbed his leg with a crutch, after which an infection appeared, which developed into sepsis. Doctors tried to save the famous American, performed operations and blood transfusions on him, but to no avail. On July 15, 1940, the tallest man in the world died in his sleep.

About 40 thousand Americans came to Robert's funeral. His coffin weighed half a ton and was carried by 12 people. The grave of the famous giant was concreted. This was the request of his family, who believed that the remains of Robert Wadlow might be stolen. On the monument, which is twice as tall as the others, is written “Rest in peace.”
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In this article we will talk about phenomenal people who somehow deserve the status of “tallest man in the world.” This title has passed from one person to another many times, but everyone who is mentioned is guaranteed to amaze you with their impressive dimensions.

Living among people of average height, we sometimes don’t even think about what human nature is capable of. Any person whose height is two meters or more seems very tall to us - and this is far from the limit for the inhabitants of our planet.

Sultan Kosen is the tallest living person in the world

Today, the tallest person in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is Turkish farmer Sultan Kosen, born in 1982. His height is 251 cm, while the length of his foot is 36 centimeters. If shoe brands made boots for such giants, it would be shoe size 62. However, in reality, Kosen has to order shoes from the studio according to individual parameters.

Unfortunately, the tall stature of the tallest man on the planet is not associated with the generosity of natural gifts, but with a disease - a pituitary tumor. As of today, Sultan Kosen cannot walk normally and is forced to use crutches. Agriculture He didn’t exactly take up the job according to his vocation: due to his height and illnesses, the guy couldn’t even finish high school, and he had to forget about a more prestigious job.

The Sultan's serious problem for a long time was not only the search for huge clothes and shoes, but also the continuation of his uncontrolled growth. Until the early 2010s, he continued to grow due to improper activity of the pituitary gland, despite the fact that he was already over 20 years old. In 2010, Kosen began undergoing radiation treatment at the University of Virginia Medical School, and by 2012, the hormonal activity of his pituitary gland was completely normalized.

Despite the vicissitudes of fate, the tallest man in the world has a cheerful character and a rather positive attitude towards life. So, according to him, his height helps him work with tall trees on the farm and perform many other household chores. In addition, Kosen is happy in his personal life: in 2013, his wedding took place with Merve Dibo, whose height is 173 centimeters.

And in 2014, the tallest man in the world met the smallest: Nepalese Chandra Dangi, whose height is only 54.6 centimeters. You can see a funny photo from this meeting, which the entire world community was touched by, below.

List of highest ever

It cannot be said that there is any single ranking of the tallest people who have ever lived on our planet. The problem is that some of them have already left our world, others did not participate in official measurements of their height, for example, for the same Guinness Book of Records. However, below we will talk about the most famous giants from among those about whom there is reliable information.

Wadlow, Robert - Tallest recorded man in history

American Robert Pershing Wadlow was born in 1918 and died in 1940. He is considered the tallest man in the world who has been officially registered by the Guinness Book of Records. His height was 272 cm, and his weight was about 199 kg. Robert Wadlow, like Sultan Kosen, suffered from a pituitary tumor and therefore continued to grow uncontrollably throughout his life. He also had acromegaly. Unfortunately, medicine at the beginning of the 20th century could not help him. Over time, he, like Kosen, needed crutches, and they played a fatal role in his fate: the crutch rubbed Robert’s leg, causing infection and severe sepsis. He died in his sleep shortly after this incident.

The parents, sisters and brothers of the tallest man in the history of the world were of normal height. Despite health problems, Wadlow graduated from school and entered university, and also performed in the circus and traveled with performances throughout America. He became something of a US celebrity and was nicknamed the “good giant.” About 40 thousand compatriots came to his funeral, and 12 people had to carry the huge coffin.

Leonid Stadnik - Ukrainian giant

Leonid Stadnik was born in the village of Podolyantsy (near Chernobyl) in 1970, and died there in 2014. As a child, he was the smallest child in the class, which is why he always sat at the first desk. However, at the age of 13, he experienced an event that changed his life and, quite possibly, later became the cause of death in early age: surgery to remove a benign tumor from the brain. Most likely, during the operation, the doctors touched the young patient’s pituitary gland, as a result of which its functions were impaired and it began to grow uncontrollably. Subsequently, he was given the same diagnosis as the previous Gullivers: a pituitary tumor and acromegaly.

Nevertheless, the young man graduated from school with a gold medal, entered the Zhytomyr Agricultural Institute and graduated as a veterinary surgeon with honors, and even worked in his specialty for some time. Over time, the work had to be abandoned: the cows were afraid of the huge man, whose height eventually reached 253 centimeters and weight - up to 200 kilograms.

In 2007, Leonid agreed to official measurements of his height from the Guinness Book of Records, and was recorded in it as the new record holder (replacing the Chinese Bao Xishun in this post). However, a year later, when the rules for registering records changed in the Guinness Book of Records, and its representatives turned to Stadnik with a request to re-take measurements by independent judges, the Ukrainian refused, and his place was again taken by Bao Xishun. As Leonid himself explained this act, he did not want any popularity or hype. He died of hemorrhage into a pituitary tumor at the age of 44.

Bao Xishun is one of the tallest living

Bao Xishun is a Chinese shepherd born in 1951 in Inner Mongolia province. His height is 236 cm. The record was first registered in 2005, and in 2008, as already noted, it returned to Xishun after Leonid Stadnik refused to take repeated measurements. In 2007, he married a 28-year-old compatriot, a girl of average height. Bao Xishun is also known for helping to save two dolphins in the Royal Ocean World park in Fushun in 2006: using his arms, which are more than 1 meter long, he removed foreign bodies from the stomachs of the unfortunate inhabitants of the park.

The tallest people in Russia

All of the above people, to a certain extent, deserve the title of the tallest person in the world: living, registered, and so on. However, it is obvious that both in the world and in Rus', there were probably giants comparable in height to them, who simply did not receive their share of fame, or were not officially measured.

Fedor Makhnov - a giant of the Russian Empire

The most famous Gulliver of the Russian Empire, born in the Vitebsk province (now the territory of Belarus), was Fyodor Makhnov. He lived from 1878 to 1912. According to surviving information, his height was 285 centimeters, although he was not officially registered with the Guinness Book of Records. During his lifetime, Fedor worked for some time in the circus, traveling with the troupe to many foreign countries, and then settled with his wife in the Grodno region of modern Belarus.

It is noteworthy that Makhnov’s wife, teacher Efrosinya Lebedeva, was also very tall woman: her height was 215 cm. Fyodor and Euphrosyne had five children. They were quite tall, but none of them grew to two meters. The tallest man in Rus' and in the world died at the age of 34 due to lung disease, although some believe that he was poisoned.

Final table

So, the title of the tallest man in the world changes its owner quite often, and some people carry it unofficially, since there is no confirmed data on their height.

However, we offer you our small top of the tallest people in history as of 2017:

Video

“The tallest man in the world. Tallest man in history"

"The Tallest Man Sultan Kesen"

All information used in this article was obtained from open sources. One of the main ones is the free encyclopedia Wikipedia.

At one time almost the whole world knew Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov. The fact is that he was the tallest man. Weighing 182 kilograms, his height was 285 centimeters, and a 12-year-old child could easily fit in his boot.

Fyodor Makhnov was born on June 6 (old style) 1878 in the village of Kostyuki, Vitebsk district (now Belarus) into a poor family. The Makhnov family was above average in height, but not giants. Fyodor's mother died during childbirth; the child turned out to be very large. The grandfather took up raising the boy.

At first, Fyodor Makhnov developed as befits an ordinary child, but by the age of eight he began to grow rapidly. At the age of 12, his height already reached two meters. His foot was 51 centimeters, and his palm was 32 centimeters. His strength was consistent with his height - he could easily lift an adult man or pull a cart of hay up a mountain. The landowner Korzhenevsky hired a young hero to clear the river of boulders that were interfering with the operation of the water mill.

When Fyodor turned 14, due to his abnormal growth, the hut even had to be rebuilt. The children laughed at him because of his height, and in response the giant hung their hats on the ridge of the roof or barn.

One day, the owner of a nomadic circus, Otto Bidinder, noticed a young giant at the market in Vitebsk, where Fyodor worked part-time to earn money for clothes and shoes that were made to order for him. At that time, unusual people were very popular, so Otto persuaded Fyodor’s relatives to let the young man go to Germany.

At first Fyodor Makhnov studied German language and circus art. At the age of 16, the young man signed a contract to work in the circus. Fyodor broke bricks with the edge of his palm, unbent horseshoes, and while lying down he could lift a platform with a small orchestra. But most people came to the performances to see a real giant with their own eyes - by the age of 25, Makhnov had grown to 2 meters 85 centimeters.

The giant's diet corresponded to these dimensions. For breakfast he ate an omelette of 20 eggs, 8 loaves of bread and two liters of tea, for lunch - two and a half kilograms of meat and the same amount of potatoes. And Makhnov could sleep for more than 24 hours.

Makhnov spent nine years working in the circus and became a wealthy man. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he moved to his native land, where he bought the land of the landowner Korzhenevsky, and remodeled the estate to suit his height and named it Velikanovo. Bidinder sent materials for construction from Germany. Makhnov maintained friendly relations with Otto Bidinder until the end of his life.

Despite his considerable fortune and good disposition, the giant could not find a mate for a long time. As a result, he married a rural teacher, Efrosinya Lebedeva. The girl was taller than average, but still a meter shorter than her husband. His wife gave birth to Fyodor five children.

Sometimes Fyodor Makhnov went to work in Europe and performed in circuses. And his popularity did not decline. He was often invited to social events, where he managed to amuse the guests by lighting cigarettes from the chandelier. Traveling was difficult for Makhnov: transport, hotels and restaurants did not correspond to the size of the giant.

Fyodor Makhnov died in 1912 at the age of 34. The exact cause of death is not known. Fedor was buried in the cemetery in the village of Kostyuki.

On the stone tombstone it is written: “Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov. Born June 6, 1878. Died on August 28, 1912. The tallest man in the world. He was 3 arshins 9 inches tall.” In fact, the height is indicated incorrectly: the value of 3 arshins 9 vershoks (254 centimeters), which is 30 centimeters less than the actual one, was taken from the contract that Fyodor Makhnov concluded at the age of 16.

Titans, giants, giants are often found in fairy tales and myths. They amaze with their phenomenal growth and delight with their remarkable strength. And where the tallest man in the world lives and what it’s like for him among ordinary people, few people know. And not everyone understands what gigantism means for mere mortals.

TOP 10 biggest people in the world

Gullivers of the 21st century live in different parts of the planet. The top ten record-breaking giants include:
No. 10. Arshavir Grigoryan (230 cm)

Titan from Armenia is invited to film in films, shows and videos. But Arshavir experiences a lot of inconvenience due to his height. In transport, the Armenian giant has to travel bent over, and finding suitable clothes becomes a real problem.
No. 9. Brenden Adams (233 cm)

At first, neither parents nor doctors could unravel the phenomenon of a unique American. By the age of 8, Brenden had grown to 172 cm and continued to grow. It was all about a chromosomal inversion that provoked gigantism. Adams received the title of the tallest teenager in the world.
No. 8. Igor Vovkovinsky (234 cm)

The actor, originally from Ukraine, is considered the tallest resident of the United States. The mother moved seven-year-old Igor to the States in order to stop her son’s abnormal growth with the help of expensive treatment. The Ukrainian “colossus” has to his credit an acquaintance with Michelle Obama and participation in the comedy film “Celibate Week.”
No. 7. Sun Minming (235.5 cm)

This Chinese is the dream of any basketball club and a media favorite. A professional player for the Beijing Ducks bookmaker, Sun starred alongside Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in the action-comedy film Rush Hour 3.
No. 6. Raduan Charbib (236 cm)

For the Tunisian giant, his enormous growth became a serious moral test. Charbib even dropped out of school due to complexes associated with his gigantism. But he achieved success in basketball: his team always confidently won the Tunisian championships.
No. 5. Bao Xishun (237 cm)

Until recently, the Mongolian shepherd was considered a “king” among super-tall people. Xishun was a basketball player and a restaurant barker. Thanks to the incredible length of his arms (106 cm), he once saved two dolphins by pulling plastic trash out of their stomachs.
No. 4. Ayaz Ahmed (239 cm)

The Pakistani giant farmer claims to be the tallest man in the world with a height exceeding 2.5 m. However, Ahmed has not yet provided official confirmation of this fact.
No. 3. Zhang Juncai (242 cm)

The “Man-Mountain” from the Celestial Empire was an ordinary guy until he was 18, but then his height began to increase rapidly. Zhang had a chance to make a spectacular basketball career, but an injury forced him to leave the sport.
No. 2. Brahim Takiolah (246 cm)

This giant is the pride of African Morocco. Takiolakh is famous for its huge foot size - 38 cm, so shoes for the Moroccan “Uncle Stepa” are sewn to order. In 2006, Parisian surgeons managed to help Brahim: they eliminated the tumor that caused his gigantic growth.
No. 1. Sultan Kesen (251 cm)

According to the Guinness Book, this man holds the title of modern supergiant. He has lived all his 35 years in Turkey and is a farmer. As befits a man in full bloom, he builds family relationships.

Tallest man at the moment

It’s hard to believe, but Sultan Kesen was born an absolutely normal child. The future record holder began growing by leaps and bounds at the age of 10. Today the height of the tallest man in the world is 2 m 51 cm. He is taller than ordinary people, including own parents, by a whole meter (the average height of an earthling at the moment is 1 m 65 cm).
The tallest man in the world surprises with other parameters of his body:

• weighing approximately 200 kg;
• arm span - 3 m;
• palm size - 28.5 cm;
• foot size - 36.5 cm.

To better appreciate the height of the tallest man in the world, you need to see him next to a dwarf. This is what the workers of the Cairo travel agency decided and at the beginning of 2018 they organized the Sultan a sensational date with the smallest woman in the world. A “colleague” according to the Guinness Book of Records - a 25-year-old Indian woman with a doll-like appearance, Jyoti Amji - turned out to be 1 m 88 cm shorter than the Sultan. Their joint photos turned out to be very impressive: a man-rock and a woman-button. Looking at them, one cannot help but wonder: how does the tallest man live?
According to doctors, the cause of the intense growth was a pituitary tumor. Having arisen at the age of 10, the serious illness did not allow the boy to receive school education. But he turned out to be an excellent farmer and householder. Its remarkable body size makes it easy to pick fruits from treetops, hang curtains on windows, and change light bulbs. From a height of 2.51 meters, he can see objects within a radius of 100 m.
Gigantism also creates many inconveniences. The tallest man alive today cannot afford basic things:

• ride in compact cars;
• dress and put on shoes in a regular store;
• use standard furniture.

With the help of radiotherapy, American doctors managed to “curb” irrepressible growth hormones. Since 2010, at the age of 28, the giant stopped increasing in length. But his problems have not diminished. It is difficult for the record holder’s spine to support his huge body. That's why he always relies on crutches. Due to painful joints, Kesen was forced to quit basketball and replace the sport with video games.
The Sultan knows firsthand how unlucky giants are in their personal lives. For a long time the girls avoided the Turkish hero: they were simply afraid of him. Therefore, he dreamed of meeting an equally tall girlfriend who would not consider him a big guy.

Love came to the giant at the age of 31. His wife was the 20-year-old Syrian beauty Dibo Merwe. The woman is 82 cm shorter than her husband. “I was looking for a giantess bride, but I found a man,” the happy Sultan admitted to the guests at the wedding.

The biggest man in history

The title of absolute champion among earthly giants belongs to US citizen Robert Wadlow. It’s all the more offensive that fate gave the American Gulliver only 22 years of life.
The answer to the question of how many meters the tallest man was is staggering: his height was a record 2 m 72 cm and his weight was 199 kg. Even at the age of 10, the boy’s body lengthened to almost 2 m, and his weight reached 100 kg. The boy could easily pick up his father.

What was the life of the greatest man like?

There were never any giants in the Wadlow family. The firstborn, born in 1918, was also no different from his brothers and sisters until he was 4 years old. But a fatal disease - a tumor of the pituitary gland - led to monstrous hypertrophy of the body.
Robert's parents did everything to ensure that their special child did not feel disadvantaged. They built a school desk for him according to his height, sewed a Boy Scout uniform to his individual measurements, bought a camera and a guitar.
By the age of 18, the young man had grown another 54 cm. The size of his feet increased to 0.5 m and no longer allowed him to purchase shoes in the store. Subsequently, one of the shoe factories will provide Robert with its products free of charge.
After graduating from school, the young man entered the university and became interested in the circus. As part of a troupe of traveling artists, he traveled almost all over America. The audience received a standing ovation for the 200-kilogram “good-natured giant.”
Pathological growth - 263 cm at the age of 21 - turned out to be a heavy burden for Wadlow's health. The legs partially lost sensation under the weight of the body. I had to get crutches. Muscle fatigue and headache became Robert's constant companions.

What was the death of the biggest man in the world

The tragedy began with a trivial incident. Once at a holiday, Robert rubbed his leg with a crutch. An infection that penetrated into the wound caused blood poisoning. American doctors desperately fought for the life of their famous compatriot. But blood transfusions and several operations did not lead to success: the patient died in his sleep.
Robert's death caused no less excitement than his performances. No one had ever had such a funeral ceremony as was organized for the world's tallest man. Hollywood star. A crowd of 40 thousand came to say goodbye to the world-famous celebrity. A dozen people carried the 500-kilogram coffin.
grave gigantic size filled with concrete to prevent vandals from stealing a national treasure - the remains of the tallest man who lived on earth.

Unassuming record holder

Leonid Stadnik, a native of a Ukrainian village in the Zhytomyr region, refused the title of “tallest man.” He was distinguished not only by his gigantic height (253 cm), but also by his great modesty. Born in 1971, the boy began to grow at a catastrophic rate from the age of 12. The negligence of doctors who performed an unsuccessful operation to remove a brain tumor was to blame.
This did not prevent Leonid from graduating with honors from school and college and obtaining a specialty as a veterinarian. But the tallest man in the world could not realize himself in his chosen profession. The lack of size 62 shoes in one of the harsh winters led to frostbite on the feet and premature disability.
In 2007, Leonid became a Guinness Book record holder. However, popularity weighed heavily on the rural guy, and he refused to take annual official measurements designed to clarify how tall the tallest man in the world is.

Having traveled around the world, visiting Germany and France, Stadnik decided to stay in his native village forever. He farmed the land, grew grapes, and raised pigs. Wardrobe items were sent to him free of charge from all over the world. Domestic businessmen presented a computer to their famous fellow countryman, and the president presented a car.
A cerebral hemorrhage interrupted the life of a 44-year-old giant villager. In August 2014 he passed away. No one knows how many meters the tallest man in the world was at the end of his life. Presumably he should have pulled himself up a few more centimeters.

Instead of a conclusion

Tall people, unlike fairy-tale giant heroes, are not superhumans. Their extraordinary nature often results in difficult trials. Therefore, they are no less, if not more than other people, in need of attention and sympathy.

In many fairy tales, Bible stories, modern fantasy and computer games You can find references to giants - people whose height and physical capabilities are much higher than ordinary humans. They guard caves, treasures and secrets, like in Ender's Game, fight in war, like Goliath, hunt people and live in the mountains, like the giants from the Harry Potter book.

Uncle Styopa from Marshak's poem was a giant for Soviet children - kind, caring and fearless. Such a kind of superhero in the Soviet style. What are giants like these days?

Giants of antiquity

The ancient Egyptians were sure that they descended from a race of giants who once sailed to their lands and taught medicine and construction. The largest man on earth was described by the Roman historian Pliny. The skeleton of this creature was discovered after the earthquake. This man's height was about 20 meters. A similar specimen was discovered in Ethiopia, but 16 meters long.

IN different times people have found the remains of giants almost all over the world. Latest find was committed in 2008 by archaeologists near the city of Borjomi, in the Kharagul Nature Reserve. That giant was 3 m high and had a skull three times larger than a human. And the most impressive discovery of our time was made in Australia: a giant tooth 67 mm high and 42 mm wide. The owner of such a tooth should have been 7.5 m tall and weighed about 400 kg. According to the analysis, the giant lived about 9 million years ago.

Fragments of the remains of smaller giants are found periodically. Human jaws 3-3.5 m long were found in China. South Africa found details of a skull 45 cm high. In the Sahara in 2005-2006, the largest mass burial of giant people was discovered, about 200 skeletons in total. The height of these creatures exceeded 2 meters. They lived about 5000 years ago.

Giants of our time

The greatest man of our time is the peasant Fyodor Makhnov, who lived in the 19th century. His height was 285 cm. However, the data was not officially recorded, and it is not possible to verify it now. He was born in 1878 and lived for 34 years; the probable cause of death was lung disease.

Many giants were born and lived in the 20th century. Let's start with the highest. Robert Wadlow, whose height was 268 cm, lived only 22 years and died in 1940. His weight was 220 kg. Don Koehler grew to 245 cm and died in 1988 at 55 years old. The circus performer from China has a height of 242 cm, he was born in 1982. The tallest native of Africa and inhabitant of the planet from 1988 to 1990 has a height of 242 cm.

The most big people throughout history were born in all parts of the world. Many of them are basketball players, and their height only helps them in professional activity. The tallest man on the planet today is the Turk Sultan Kossen.

Guinness Book of Records: Sultan Caussin

The biggest person is an ordinary farmer from Turkey. At the age of 26, he was awarded the title of the tallest man, his height is 246 cm. He also has the longest palms with a length of 27.5 cm and feet - 36.5 cm. Until the age of 10, he was quite ordinary, but a tumor in his head caused pituitary gigantism. Not long ago, the tumor was removed, and Sultan’s growth stopped.

Sultan Kossen uses crutches to get around, has difficulty fitting into a car, orders clothes and shoes to fit his size, and even a bed was made for him separately. The biggest inconvenience for him is the ceilings in the apartments. Sultan himself sees advantages in his height: he can see better and further, helps hang curtains and change light bulbs in lighting fixtures.

Tall height intimidates the fair sex from the Turk, and the Sultan hopes that thanks to the fame gained through the Guinness Book of Records, his dream of starting a family will come true.

Rivals of Sultan Caussin

The previous record holder, 236 cm tall Mongolian shepherd Bao Xishun, used his height as an advertisement for himself when choosing a bride. He married a girl half his size.

To be honest, Sultan Caussen has a competitor who is exactly the same height - Chinese Zao, 27 years old. Leonid Stadnik from Ukraine, 259 cm tall, could also compete for the title of tallest man. But neither the Chinese nor the Ukrainian wanted to officially confirm their height before the Guinness Book of Records committee. Therefore, the official point of view on which person is the biggest differs from the real one.

The fattest man

Heavyweights who may not have outstanding height, but who impress everyone with their mass, should rightfully participate in the “biggest man” nomination.

Today the place of the fattest man is not taken. The previous record holder is Manuel Uribe, born in 1965 in Venezuela, now lives in Mexico. His weight had no equal in the history of medicine, the most heavy weight person was recorded at 587 kg. With such a mass, body functions are disrupted. When attempts to lose weight turned out to be ineffective, Manuel turned to the world community through television. In his situation, there were two options for the development of events: therapy, massage, a strict diet or surgery to remove fat mass, inserting a plastic balloon into the stomach to reduce appetite.

Manuel Uribe received several offers for surgery, but this was against his Catholic beliefs, and he leaned towards the diet option. The surprising thing is that it worked. Adhering to a strict protein diet, he was able to lose more than one hundred kilograms in a year, and by 2008 his weight was close to 380 kg. Thanks to the endurance shown, Uribe could now move around the apartment and even go outside.

The best source of motivation for a man is a woman. So our hero found such a source for himself; he met a young girl named Soliss. At first she came to give him a haircut and a massage, and then the friendship grew into something more. By 2011, Manuel’s weight was only 167 kg, which is already minus 420 kg from the maximum.

Pros and cons of modern giants

How does the biggest person feel, can he self-realize? Modern light industry produces clothes and shoes in standard sizes, and it is impossible to find the right size for people who go beyond the usual physical parameters. Residential buildings have standard ceiling heights, which is the bane of modern giants. Quite a few of them are professional basketball players or runners, but in other professions there is no need to be tall or heavy.