Share on Social Media:
The Top 5 Tallest People Who Ever Lived
| Name | Height | Date of Birth | Date of Death | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Pershing Wadlow | 2.72 m (8 ft 11) |
1918 (Alton, Illinois) |
1940 | United States |
| 2 | Johan Aasen | 2.67 m (8 ft 7) |
1890 (Sheyenne, North Dakota ) |
1938 | United States |
| 3 | John William Rogan | 2.66 m (8 ft 7) |
1868 (Sumner County, Tennessee) |
1905 | United States |
| 4 | Grady Patterson | 2.64 m (8 ft 6) |
1943 (Kentucky) |
1967 | United States |
| 5 | John F. Carroll | 2.63 m (8 ft 6) |
1932 (Buffalo, New York) |
1969 | United States |
Special Report
- At his death in July of 1940, Robert Pershing Wadlow weighed 220 kg (490 pounds). At six months old, Robert weighed 30 pounds. A year later at 18 months, he weighed 62 pounds. by the time he was eight years old he had reached a height of six feet, two inches and weighed 195 pounds. His hands were a foot long. His abnormal growth has been attributed to hypertrophy of the pituitary gland which causes a release of high levels of human growth hormone. Today this condition can be controlled with medication. After Wadlow's death his family had most of his belongings destroyed to avoid collectors and persons seeking 'freak' memorabilia.
- Johan Aasen, besides arguably being the world's second tallest human, was an actor who appeared in 9 feature films during the 1920's and 30's. Kristi Danielsen, John's mother, was a Norwegian and to this day there are no known records of the identity of Johan's father which she kept secret all her life.
- John William "Bud" Rogan also known as "Willie" was the fourth of twelve children born to William Rogan a former slave "owned" by Francis Rogan a plantation owner in Sumner County Tennessee. John suffered from the disease Ankylosis (fusion of the joints), which severely affected his knees and hips. Eventually he became so disabled that he could not walk or stand yet despite this obstacle Willie worked selling postcards of his image to railroad passengers (after building himself a cart pulled by two goats for transportation). Despite being poor he refused to work for sideshows or carnivals. Willie's exact height was not measured until his death which at that time he measured 8 feet, 9 inches tall. He weighed only 175 pounds.
Tags:
People, Top 5 Tallest
Sources: Various
List Notes: There are difficulties in making a list such as this one. Robert Wadlow's records are well documented and can be considered very reliable however in some cases no actual documented medical evidence exists. For example, the reports of Johan Aasen's actual height seem to come from news reports of the time and could very likely be exaggerated (especially considering that extremely tall people often found themselves working in sideshows and circuses). *In some cases tall people suffer from scoliosis and indeed both Grady Patterson and John F. Carroll suffered from spinal curvature. The data contained in this list accounts for their normal spinal curvature.
Sources: Various
List Notes: There are difficulties in making a list such as this one. Robert Wadlow's records are well documented and can be considered very reliable however in some cases no actual documented medical evidence exists. For example, the reports of Johan Aasen's actual height seem to come from news reports of the time and could very likely be exaggerated (especially considering that extremely tall people often found themselves working in sideshows and circuses). *In some cases tall people suffer from scoliosis and indeed both Grady Patterson and John F. Carroll suffered from spinal curvature. The data contained in this list accounts for their normal spinal curvature.
