World tallest Man :
WHO:
Robert Pershing Wadlow
WHAT:
2.72 m (8 ft 11 in)
WHERE:
Alton, Illinois, USA
WHEN:
Last measured on July 15, 1940
The tallest man in medical history for whom there is irrefutable evidence is Robert Pershing Wadlow. He was born at Alton, Illinois, USA, on February 22, 1918, and when he was last measured on June 27, 1940, was found to be 2.72 m (8 ft 11.1 in) tall.
Wadlow died at 1:30 a.m. on July 15, 1940, in a hotel in Manistee, Michigan, as a result of a septic blister on his right ankle caused by a brace, which had been poorly fitted only a week earlier. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Alton, in a coffin measuring 3.28 m (10 ft 9 in) long, 81 cm (32 in) wide and 76 cm (30 in) deep.
Wadlow's greatest recorded weight was 222.71 kg (35 st 1 lb) on his 21st birthday and he weighed 199 kg (31 st 5 lb) at the time of his death. His shoe size was 37AA (47 cm, 18½ in long) and his hands measured 32.4 cm (12¾ in) from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger. He wore a size 25 ring. His arm span was 2.88 m (9 ft 5¾ in) and his peak daily food consumption was 8000 calories.
At the age of nine, he was able to carry his father Harold F. Wadlow, later Mayor of Alton, who stood 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) and weighed 77 kg (170 lb), up the stairs of the family home.
Tallest Woman - Living
WHO:
Sandy Allen
WHAT:
2.31 m (7 ft 7 in)
WHERE:
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
WHEN:
As of 1999
Sandy Allen was a 2.95-kg (6.5-lb) baby, and her abnormal growth began soon after her birth in June 1955. By the age of 10 she stood 1.905 m (6 ft 3 in) tall, and was 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in) by 16 years old. Sandy had a dream to break free of a world, that she felt she had outgrown. In her first letter to Guinness World Records in 1974 she wrote, "I would like to get to know someone that is approximately my height. It is needless to say my social life is practically nil and perhaps the publicity from your book may brighten my life." The accolade did help to bring about a reversal of fortunes for the Indiana secretary. First, there was an offer from film director Federico Fellini to take a role in his film Casanova in 1975, and then her first date with a 7-ft Illinois man. On July 14, 1977, she went into hospital for a pituitary gland operation to stop further growth. Nowadays poor circulation and weak leg muscles mean she is dependent on a wheel chair.
Gurning World Championships - Most Wins
WHO:
Gordon Mattinson
WHAT:
10
WHERE:
Cumbria, UK
WHEN:
1967-72 and 1974-77
The Egremont Crab Apple Fair, Cumbria, is the venue of the World Gurning Championships (formerly known as the `Grinning for'bacca" contest). The competition is not limited to toothless old men, though they do make up a large proportion of the contestants. The only gurner to have won the World Championship ten times is Gordon Mattinson of Aspatria, Cumbria, from 1967-72 and 1974-77.
Longest Hair
WHO:
Xie Qiuping
WHAT:
5.627 m (18 ft 5.54 in)
WHERE:
Guangxi Province, China
WHEN:
May 8, 2004
The world's longest documented hair belongs to Xie Qiuping (China) at 5.627 m (18 ft 5.54 in) when measured on May 8, 2004. She has been growing her hair since 1973 from the age of 13.
Longest Tongue
WHO:
Stephen Taylor
WHAT:
9.5 cm (3.74 in)
WHERE:
Milan, Italy.
WHEN:
January 5, 2006
Stephen Taylor (UK) has a tongue that measures 9.5 cm (3.74 in) from the tip to the centre of his closed top lip. It was measured on the set of 'Lo Show dei Record' in Milan, Italy on January 5, 2006.
Furthest Eyeball Popper
WHO:
Kim Goodman
WHAT:
12 mm (0.47 in)
WHERE:
Istanbul, Turkey
WHEN:
November 2, 2007
Kim Goodman (USA) can pop her eyeballs to a protrusion of 12 mm (0.47 in) beyond her eye sockets. Her eyes were measured in Istanbul, Turkey, on November 2, 2007.
WHO:
Robert Pershing Wadlow
WHAT:
2.72 m (8 ft 11 in)
WHERE:
Alton, Illinois, USA
WHEN:
Last measured on July 15, 1940
The tallest man in medical history for whom there is irrefutable evidence is Robert Pershing Wadlow. He was born at Alton, Illinois, USA, on February 22, 1918, and when he was last measured on June 27, 1940, was found to be 2.72 m (8 ft 11.1 in) tall.
Wadlow died at 1:30 a.m. on July 15, 1940, in a hotel in Manistee, Michigan, as a result of a septic blister on his right ankle caused by a brace, which had been poorly fitted only a week earlier. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Alton, in a coffin measuring 3.28 m (10 ft 9 in) long, 81 cm (32 in) wide and 76 cm (30 in) deep.
Wadlow's greatest recorded weight was 222.71 kg (35 st 1 lb) on his 21st birthday and he weighed 199 kg (31 st 5 lb) at the time of his death. His shoe size was 37AA (47 cm, 18½ in long) and his hands measured 32.4 cm (12¾ in) from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger. He wore a size 25 ring. His arm span was 2.88 m (9 ft 5¾ in) and his peak daily food consumption was 8000 calories.
At the age of nine, he was able to carry his father Harold F. Wadlow, later Mayor of Alton, who stood 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) and weighed 77 kg (170 lb), up the stairs of the family home.
Tallest Woman - Living
WHO:
Sandy Allen
WHAT:
2.31 m (7 ft 7 in)
WHERE:
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
WHEN:
As of 1999
Sandy Allen was a 2.95-kg (6.5-lb) baby, and her abnormal growth began soon after her birth in June 1955. By the age of 10 she stood 1.905 m (6 ft 3 in) tall, and was 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in) by 16 years old. Sandy had a dream to break free of a world, that she felt she had outgrown. In her first letter to Guinness World Records in 1974 she wrote, "I would like to get to know someone that is approximately my height. It is needless to say my social life is practically nil and perhaps the publicity from your book may brighten my life." The accolade did help to bring about a reversal of fortunes for the Indiana secretary. First, there was an offer from film director Federico Fellini to take a role in his film Casanova in 1975, and then her first date with a 7-ft Illinois man. On July 14, 1977, she went into hospital for a pituitary gland operation to stop further growth. Nowadays poor circulation and weak leg muscles mean she is dependent on a wheel chair.
Gurning World Championships - Most Wins
WHO:
Gordon Mattinson
WHAT:
10
WHERE:
Cumbria, UK
WHEN:
1967-72 and 1974-77
The Egremont Crab Apple Fair, Cumbria, is the venue of the World Gurning Championships (formerly known as the `Grinning for'bacca" contest). The competition is not limited to toothless old men, though they do make up a large proportion of the contestants. The only gurner to have won the World Championship ten times is Gordon Mattinson of Aspatria, Cumbria, from 1967-72 and 1974-77.
Longest Hair
WHO:
Xie Qiuping
WHAT:
5.627 m (18 ft 5.54 in)
WHERE:
Guangxi Province, China
WHEN:
May 8, 2004
The world's longest documented hair belongs to Xie Qiuping (China) at 5.627 m (18 ft 5.54 in) when measured on May 8, 2004. She has been growing her hair since 1973 from the age of 13.
Longest Tongue
WHO:
Stephen Taylor
WHAT:
9.5 cm (3.74 in)
WHERE:
Milan, Italy.
WHEN:
January 5, 2006
Stephen Taylor (UK) has a tongue that measures 9.5 cm (3.74 in) from the tip to the centre of his closed top lip. It was measured on the set of 'Lo Show dei Record' in Milan, Italy on January 5, 2006.
Furthest Eyeball Popper
WHO:
Kim Goodman
WHAT:
12 mm (0.47 in)
WHERE:
Istanbul, Turkey
WHEN:
November 2, 2007
Kim Goodman (USA) can pop her eyeballs to a protrusion of 12 mm (0.47 in) beyond her eye sockets. Her eyes were measured in Istanbul, Turkey, on November 2, 2007.
