Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov (, also written as Feodor Machnow in contemporary sources) claimed to be the tallest person in the world, although his exact height and weight is unconfirmed.

Biography

Fyodor Makhnov was born in 1878 at a ''

khutor A khutor ( ; rus, хутор, p=ˈxutər) or khutir (, ) is a type of rural locality in some countries of Eastern Europe; in the past the term mostly referred to a single- homestead settlement.Vitebsky Uyezd, then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(now in

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

) to a poor peasant family.Витебский великан Федор Махнов: необычная жизнь необычного человека и воспоминания родственников
July 23, 2018 As a young man in his twenties he toured Europe to exhibit his great height. After having spent time in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

he visited

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1905 where he joined the Hippodrome accompanied by his wife and young child. He then toured the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1906 where he met President Roosevelt as well as actor and fellow giant George Auger. Throughout his tour his promoters exaggerated his height, and he was usually accredited with a considerably inflated stature as high as and billed as "The Russian Giant." On the obelisk it is still possible to read: «Фёдор Андреевич Махнов. Родился 6 июня 1878 года. Умер 28 августа 1912 года. Самый высокий человек в мире. Ростом был 3 аршина 9 вершков» ("Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov. Born 6 June 1878. Died 28 August 1912. The tallest man in the world. His height was 3 '' arshins'' 9 '' vershoks'' 54 centimetrestall"). Makhnov's wife, Efrosinya wanted to correct the incorrect figure on the monument, but could not do so because of the beginning of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and then the

Revolution of 1917 The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

. Photographic evidence suggest that he was not any taller than . This exaggeration may have been because he wore high hats, and tall boots which added a foot to his height. Although, if this was accurate, he would have been taller than

Robert Wadlow Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 July 15, 1940), also known as the Alton Giant and the Giant of Illinois, was an American man. He is the list of tallest people, tallest person in recorded history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. ...

, now cited as the world's tallest man. Makhnov died in 1912 due to

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

, and likely complications of

acromegaly Acromegaly is a disorder that results in excess growth of certain parts of the human body. It is caused by excess growth hormone (GH) after the growth plates have closed. The initial symptom is typically enlargement of the hands and feet. There ...

. He was the father of four children, none of whom reached a height greater than two meters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makhnov, Fyodor 1878 births 1912 deaths 19th-century people from the Russian Empire People with gigantism People from Vitebsk district

Biography

See also

References