Tallest People Ever

 1. Robert Wadlow 8 feet 11 inches (February 22, 1918 – July 15, 1940)

Robert Pershing Wadlow sometimes known as the Alton Giant and the Giant of Illinois, is the tallest person in history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. The Alton and Illinois monikers reflect the fact that he was born and grew up in Alton, Illinois.

Wadlow reached 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m) in height and weighed 439 lb (199 kg) at his death at age 22. His great size and his continued growth in adulthood were due to hyperplasia of his pituitary gland, which results in an abnormally high level of human growth hormone. He showed no indication of an end to his growth even at the time of his death.

 2. John Rogan 8 feet 9 inches (1867/1868–September 12,1905)

 John William "Bud" Rogan is one of 17 known people in medical history to reach a height of 8 feet (2.44 m) or more and he is also the second tallest person ever, after Robert Wadlow.

He was born in Sumner County, Tennessee, between 1865 and 1868, the fourth of twelve children, fathered by former slave William Rogan. His mother might have not been William Rogan's wife and his mother's name remains unknown. Rogan began to grow very rapidly at the age of 13, leading to ankylosis. Having been able to walk only on crutches, by 1882, he could not stand or walk. By 1899, he had grown to a height of 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) and often appeared in newspapers, referred to as the "Negro giant". He got around on a goat cart he had made for himself and was always the center of attention, often noted for his extremely deep voice and playful attitude. Although he could not work, he made a living by selling portraits and postcards of himself at the train station.

3. Trijntje Keever 8 feet 4 inches (April 10 or 16, 1616 – July 22, 1633)

Trijntje Cornelisdochter Keever, nicknamed De Groote Meid (in English, The Big Girl), is alleged to be the tallest female person in recorded history, standing 9 Amsterdam feet or 2.54 metres (8 ft 4 in tall at the time of her death at age seventeen.

Trijntje Keever was the daughter of Cornelis Keever and Anna Pouwels. Cornelis was a Dutch skipper and Anna was his maid; he married her on May 24, 1605. Trijntje was born on April 10 or 16, 1616 in Edam.

Trijntje’s parents took her to carnivals to earn some money by letting people see her. Trijntje first received public attention when she was nine years old and had reached the height of 2 metres (6 ft 7 in). A royal company consisting of the Bohemian king Frederick V, Elector Palatine, his wifeElizabeth of Bohemia and the princess Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, living in The Hague at the time, visited her, curious about the “nine-year-old girl taller than every man in Europe.”

4. Don Koehler 8 feet 2 inches(September 1, 1925 – February 26, 1981)

 

Donald A. Koehler is one of thirteen individuals in medical history to reach a verified height of eight feet (244 cm) or more. He was generally recognized as the tallest man in the world from at least 1969 until his death in 1981. At one time, Koehler stood 249 cm (8' 2") tall, a result of the medical condition acromegalic gigantism.

5. Zeng Jinlian 8 feet 1.75 inches (June 25, 1964 – February 13, 1982)

Zeng Jinlian (simplified Chinese: 曾金莲; traditional Chinese: 曾金蓮; pinyin: Zēng Jīnlián; was the tallestwoman ever verified in medical history, taking over Jane Bunford's record. Zeng is also the only woman counted among the fourteen people who have reached verified heights of eight feet or more.

At the time of her death at the age of 17 in Hunan, China, Zeng, who would have been 8 feet, 1.75 inches tall (she could not stand straight because of a severely deformed spine), was the tallest person in the world.

6. Sultan Kosen 8 feet 1.5 inches

Sultan Kösen (pronounced [suɫtɑn køsen]; born 10 December 1982 in Mardin, Turkey) holds the Guinness World Record for tallest living male at 2.51 m (8 ft 3 in).

His growth has resulted from a tumour affecting his pituitary gland. His stature is such that he must use crutches in order to walk. Kösen lives with his parents, three brothers and sister, who are all of normal height. He was unable to complete his schooling because of his height and works part-time as a farmer. Despite his height he claims to enjoy a normal lifestyle and enjoys playing computer games with his friends. He describes the advantages of being tall as seeing a great distance and being able to help his family with domestic tasks such as changing light bulbs and hanging curtains. He lists disadvantages as not being able to find clothes (inside leg measuring 44.5 inches (113 cm) and sleeve length measuring 38 inches (97 cm) or shoes (size 28) that fit or finding it extremely hard to fit into an average-sized car.

7. Väinö Myllyrinne 8 feet 1.25 inches (27 February 1909– 13 April 1963)

 

Väinö Myllyrinne was an acromegalic giant who was at one time (1961–1963) the world's tallest person. He stood 222 cm (7 feet 3.4 inches) and weighed 197 kg (31 stone) at the age of 21, but experienced a second phase of growth in his late thirties, attaining a height of 251 cm (8 feet 3 inches).

8. Zhao Liang 8 feet 1.1 inches

Zhao Liang is a circus performer from Henan in China. In April 2009, doctors in Tianjin measured his height at 2.46 m (8 ft 0.9 in). If confirmed, this would make him the second tallest living person after Sultan Kösen, but taller than previous record holder Bao Xishun who has been measured by theGuinness World Records as 2.36 m (7 ft 9 in). Leonid Stadnyk, reported to be 2.59 m (8 ft 6 in) tall, briefly held the title, but was disqualified due to his refusal to be measured.

Zhao played basketball until ligament damage to his left foot in 2001. His 2009 hospital trip related to this injury as he was too poor to have it treated sooner. Despite advising Zhao Liang against any intense physical exercise, Zhao's surgeon has declared that he has no health issues related to his height. His parents and siblings are average height, though his grandfather was 2 m (6 ft 6 ¹⁄₂ in). Zhao grew 10 cm a year till age 23. 

9. Gabriel Estêvão Monjane 8 feet 1 inches (1944 – 1990)

 

Gabriel Estêvão Monjane is one of only thirteen individuals in medical history to have reached eight feet or more in height.

Born in Manjacaze, Gaza Province, Mozambique, Monjane's abnormal growth, attributed to an overactive pituitary gland, started soon after birth. By the time he was 17, Monjane stood 7 feet 10 inches. He joined a Portuguese circus around this age, and was billed as 8 feet 8.3 inches. When measured officially in 1987, Monjane was attributed with the height of 8 feet and three quarters of an inch. He also weighed 418 pounds.

During his lifetime, especially late into his life, Monjane suffered leg problems and was once crippled after falling and breaking his hip. The Guinness Book of World Records stated that he was the tallest living man in their 1988 edition.

10. Suleiman Ali Nashnush 8 feet .5 inches(1943 - February 25, 1991) 

Suleiman Ali Nashnush is one of seventeen individuals in medical history to reach or surpass eight feet in height. He was a Libyan basketball player and actor. In 1960, he successfully underwent surgery to correct his abnormal growth. He was one of the tallest basketball players ever at 8'0½" (245 cm) though when he played basketball he was closer to 7'10" (239 cm) and played for Libya.

Nashnush also had a small role in Federico Fellini's film Satyricon where he played the role of Tryphaena's attendant. He died on February 25, 1991.