Human height has always intrigued people, especially when it comes to those who break records for being extraordinarily tall. In 2023, Sultan Kösen from Turkey holds the title of the tallest living person at 2.51 meters (8 feet, 2.8 inches). Kösen has held this Guinness World Record since 2009. His extreme height, caused by pituitary gigantism, also earned him records for the largest hands and feet of any living person.
Despite Kösen’s towering height, Robert Wadlow from the USA remains the tallest person in recorded history. Wadlow stood at an incredible 2.72 meters (8 feet, 11 inches). He continued growing until his untimely death at age 22, also due to complications from gigantism. Wadlow’s height has yet to be surpassed and may never be, as advances in medical treatment now help control the condition.
Women, too, have made their mark in the history of tall individuals. The tallest living woman is Rumeysa Gelgi, also from Turkey, standing at 2.15 meters (7 feet, 0.5 inches). The tallest woman ever recorded was Zeng Jinlian from China, who reached 2.46 meters (8 feet, 1 inch) before her passing in 1982.
From ancient Roman emperor Maximinus Thrax, rumored to have stood over 2.4 meters tall, to 16th-century giant Anton de Franckenpoint, history is full of tales of extraordinary height. While modern medicine helps manage conditions like pituitary gigantism, the fascination with towering figures like Sultan Kösen and Robert Wadlow endures, keeping their stories alive for future generations.
