Measured in feet, inches, and sheer disbelief — the tallest people ever documented, almost all the result of gigantism caused by a pituitary or genetic condition.
Pictured: Robert Wadlow in 1936 newsreel footage, #1 at 272 cm.
| Rank | Name | Height | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Wadlow (1918–1940) | 272 cm | United States |
| 2 | John Rogan (1868–1905) | 267 cm | United States |
| 3 | John F. Carroll (1932–1969) | 264 cm | United States |
| 4 | Willie Camper (1924–1943) | 262 cm | United States |
| 5 | Siah Khan (1913–1948) | 259 cm | Iran |
| 6 | Sultan Kösen (b. 1982, living) | 251 cm | Turkey |
| 7 | Édouard Beaupré (1881–1904) | 251 cm | Canada |
| 8 | Don Koehler (1925–1981) | 249 cm | United States |
| 9 | Väinö Myllyrinne (1909–1963) | 248 cm | Finland |
| 10 | Zeng Jinlian (1964–1982) | 248 cm | China |
No matching rows.
Pituitary gigantism kept him growing his entire life — he was still growing at 22, when he died of complications from an infected blister caused by a leg brace. He remains the tallest person in history with irrefutable medical documentation.[1]
A condition called ankylosis fused his joints in later life, leaving him unable to stand or walk unassisted despite his extraordinary height. He made a living selling autographed photos of himself.[1]
Severe spinal curvature complicates his official height figure — different measurement methods (standing vs. accounting for spinal curvature) give somewhat different numbers, which is common among the tallest people on record. At 16 he was still a comparatively ordinary 6 ft 2 in and the star of his high school basketball team, before acromegalic gigantism set his growth spurt in motion; he later worked as a civil servant and local politician in Buffalo, earning the nickname "the Buffalo Giant."[1]
One of several extraordinarily tall Americans documented in the early 20th century, though far less biographical detail survives about him than about Wadlow or Rogan. Born Guicel Camper in Pinola, Mississippi, his abnormal growth began around age nine and was linked to gigantism and thyroid problems; he later toured as a sideshow performer and died of a heart attack while performing in California.[1]
His height was caused by Proteus syndrome — the same rare disorder, causing overgrowth of bone, skin, and other tissue, associated with Joseph Merrick ("The Elephant Man"). Born Siavash Bushehri in Iran's Fars province, he was displayed in the streets of Shiraz by his impoverished family before Dr. Mohammad Ghorban, founder of Shiraz Medical School, took him in and provided medical care for the rest of his life.[1]
Currently recognized as the world's tallest living man, his growth was caused by a pituitary tumor that was surgically treated in 2010 to halt further growth; he has held the Guinness World Record for tallest living man since 2009. He also holds the record for largest hands on a living person, each measuring 28.5 cm from wrist to fingertip, and needs custom EU size 60 shoes made specially to fit his feet.[1]
A Canadian-born giant who toured as a circus strongman and sideshow performer, he died of tuberculosis at 23. His preserved remains were controversially kept on display and in storage for decades before finally being cremated and buried in his hometown in 1990.[1]
Recognized in his lifetime as the world's tallest living man, the Illinois native worked as a spokesperson and public speaker, using his height to raise awareness of pituitary gigantism. He also spent 25 years working as a salesman for the Big Joe Manufacturing Company in Chicago, remembered as "a gentle giant" who enjoyed helping other exceptionally tall people cope with the challenges of their height.[1]
The tallest soldier ever to serve in any army, he was drafted into the Finnish military despite his extraordinary size and later worked for a time as a professional strongman. His growth came in two distinct waves — he reached roughly 230 cm by his late twenties before his pituitary gland began overproducing growth hormone again in his thirties, pushing him to his final height of around 248 cm.[1]
The tallest woman ever medically documented, her growth began in infancy due to a hormone-producing tumor; the resulting strain on her body caused severe scoliosis, and she died at age 17. Her abnormal growth began at just four months old, and by age 13 she already stood 217 cm tall — a height that eventually drew the attention of a basketball coach who recruited her to play.[1]