http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070808/ap_on_re_eu/ukraine_tallest_man_2 KIEV, Ukraine - A Ukrainian man is the tallest person in the world at 8 feet 5 inches, overshadowing a Chinese man who previously held the title, Guinness World Records said Wednesday. Leonid Stadnik, a 37-year-old former veterinarian, is 8 inches taller than the former titleholder, China's Bao Xishun, who measured 7 feet 9 inches, Guinness World Records spokeswoman Amarilis Espinoza said in London. Stadnik's growth spurt started at age 14 after a brain operation apparently stimulated his pituitary gland, which produces the human growth hormone. He lives with his mother, Halyna, in northwestern Ukraine, taking care of the family's house and garden. According to Guiness, the tallest man in medical history was Illinois native Robert Pershing Wadlow, who was 8 feet 11 inches and died in 1940 at the age of 22.
i remember seeing a show about him on TLC like 5 years ago. he didn't want to leave his country to be recognized as the tallest man in the world so he stayed at home like a hermit
Wadlow: [lifts Nelson out of the sewer by his head] Do you find something comical about my appearance when I'm driving my automobile? Nelson: Yeah. Wadlow: Everyone needs to drive a vehicle, even the very tall. [turns Nelson to face the car] This was the largest auto that I could afford. Am I therefore to be made the subject of fun? Nelson: I guess so.
Nothing beats video: <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6nLukRMsHRs"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6nLukRMsHRs" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
Agreed. My workplace likes to block it though (even though we can watch them up to 45 minutes a day). Thanks for posting the clip!
