Did you know that some of the tallest people in the world were born in the US? For example, there are three people in the world whose names are Robert Pershing Wadlow, Asadulla Khan, and Sultan Kosen. All three were born in Alton, Illinois. While not the tallest person in the world, Wadlow holds the record for tallest man in the world.
Robert Wadlow
There’s a statue of Robert Wadlow, the tallest person in the world, in Alton, Illinois. He was born on February 22, 1918. Despite his height, he was a mild-mannered guy who enjoyed stamp collecting and photography.
Robert Wadlow’s stature was known in his hometown, Alton, Illinois, as the “Alton Giant,” and he was a local hero. After graduating from Alton High School, he worked as a free-lance goodwill ambassador for a shoe company. He also joined the Order of DeMolay, a youth organization, and toured the country.
When he was just a child, Wadlow was a healthy, average-size baby. At age one, he weighed 45 pounds. However, he continued to grow at an alarming rate. By his eighth birthday, he was 6 feet 2 inches tall.
His growth spurt was due to an overactive pituitary gland, which produces an abnormal amount of human growth hormone (HGH). Modern medicine can help correct this condition, but it may take time.
As a young boy, he enjoyed participating in sports, such as baseball and boxing, and he was expected to play with kids of his own height. In addition, he participated in Boy Scouts. This helped him gain friends and become involved in activities with other children.
Wadlow later agreed to tour with the Ringling Brothers circus. But his mother, who feared that potential collectors would profit from the fame, destroyed all of his personal belongings. She wanted to preserve his image.
Sultan Kosen
Sultan Kosen is an eight-foot-one-inch man from Turkey. He holds the Guinness World Record for the tallest living man. His growth is attributed to a condition called acromegaly and pituitary gigantism.
Sultan is an unofficial envoy for Turkiye throughout the world. He has traveled to over 100 countries and has met more than 20 celebrities, including Barack Obama. In 2010 he was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records, which gave him the title of tallest man alive.
Sultan has the largest hands and feet of any person to ever live. This is due to acromegaly, which is a condition in which the pituitary gland releases too much of the hormone human growth hormone.
He has had a tumour on his pituitary gland, which caused him to grow exponentially. Luckily, he received life-saving medical treatment. It took him over 20 years to reach his height.
Sultan also has the longest hand. His hand measures 28.5 centimeters from wrist to middle finger.
One of the other things Sultan has achieved is the ability to slam dunk. However, he uses crutches to do it.
Sultan is a part-time farmer. As a result, he has been able to help his family. Aside from his height, he is also a cultural ambassador for his native country of Turkey.
Sultan has appeared on TV. He also had a role in the movie Achieving the Impossible in 2016.
Sultan has the tallest feet in history. His right foot is 35.5 centimeters and his left one is 36.5.
Al Tomaini
The tallest person in the world, Al Tomaini, was born in 1912 in New Jersey. His father Santo Tomaini was also tall, and his great grandfather was even taller. He was billed as the “tallest man in the world” and the “only living half-girl”.
Al Tomaini was the tallest man in the world for many years, and he claimed to be 7 feet and 4 inches tall. He was the fire chief and police chief for the city of Gibtown, Florida, and he owned a tourist trailer court.
In 1962, at the age of 50, he died of a tumor in his pituitary gland. Al had to take medication to stop his growth. However, he refused to show pain.
Tomaini was also part of the traveling sideshow act in the mid-1900s. The couple was billed as “The World’s Strangest Married Couple”. They honeymooned in Niagara Falls and worked at Giant’s Fish Camp in Gibsonton, Florida. Their home and cottage were included in the camp.
The camp, which was also called Giant’s Fish Camp, included a restaurant and bait house. Tomaini operated the business until he passed away. After his death, the property was sold to a phosphate company. One of the cottages was preserved to honor the history of the property.
Jeanie Tomaini lived for fifty-three years, which is almost twice as long as Al. She was buried on the anniversary of his death.
Trijntje Keever
Trijntje Keever is one of the tallest people to ever live. Her height was estimated to be at least 2.54 meters (8 ft 2 in). She was born in the town of Edam, Netherlands.
At a very young age, Trijntje was already well known. She was called “De Groote Meid”, or the Big Girl, in her native country. In Europe, she was famous for her height. Foreign royalty visited her, and she was taken to carnivals as a child.
At the time, she was considered to be the tallest woman in the world. However, her height was affected by several medical problems. A tumor in her pituitary gland was responsible for the excessive growth. The pituitary gland releases large amounts of growth hormone. When Trijntje was 9 years old, her parents took her to a fair. Sadly, she died of cancer at 17 years of age.
After her death, Trijntje was buried in her hometown of Edam. There is a painting of Trijntje in civilian clothes. It is believed that she suffered from acromegaly, a disorder which causes extreme growth from birth.
Another name for Trijntje was “The Big Girl”. Another person who was known as the tallest woman was Anna Haining Bates. On her fourth birthday, she was over 4 feet tall. By the time she turned eight, she was over 7 feet. While she was a child, she was able to play the piano and was interested in literature.
Asadulla Khan
Asadulla Khan, born in 1988, is the tallest person in India. He is 7 feet 11 inches tall, and has a height of about 390 pounds. He was born in Kendrapada, West Bengal, India. Despite his size, he is a very humble man. He regrets not being able to buy shoes.
There are other tall men in the world. Some of them are notable for intelligence or efficiency, but not for their height. Others are renowned for unique acts in society.
Asadulla Khan is currently the tallest living person in the world. His height is due to a disease called acromegaly. This disorder disrupts the pituitary gland’s synthesis of growth hormone. Other symptoms include a large jaw and enlarged feet. In 2012, a gamma knife treatment helped to slow down his growth.
The second tallest man in the world is Brahim Takioullah. He is a Moroccan, and was born in 1987. A growth spurt when he was 18 made him stand a whopping metre high. He holds a Guiness World Record for the largest feet.
Another record-holder is China’s Zhang Juncai. He was the tallest man in the country until 2004. Now he is just over 8 feet.
The world’s shortest man, Balawing, is still very young. But he is rumored to hold the record for some time. After all, it took him a year to stop growing.
Naseer Ahmed Soomro
When he was growing up, Naseer Ahmed Soomro was just an ordinary person. However, his health conditions led to him to claim the title of the tallest person in the world.
He stands seven feet and ten inches tall. His height has not been the same since he was in high school, and he had to go through a surgery to remove the growth of his pituitary gland.
Although he is still growing at a rate of two centimeters a year, he has refused to be measured by the official records. Instead, he has a doctor who made him special shoes.
Masood Soomro is the second eldest among his siblings. In fact, he is the only person in the family with a height above normal. This has prompted him to travel and work as an honorary diplomat.
As the tallest man in the world, he has traveled to several countries. He has been to Spain, Germany, Norway, Iceland, the United States, and England. Besides, he has also played basketball.
The other tallest people in the world are Bao Xishun from Inner Mongolia and Brahim Takioullah from Morocco. Both of these men suffer from acromegaly, a disorder that disrupts the synthesis of growth hormone in the pituitary gland.
Xishun is now 64 years old and his height has reached 7 feet and 9 inches. He is currently living in China.