The world is filled with many individuals recognized for their unique abilities and features. Some of these outstanding individuals have been known, while some are yet to be discovered. We have heard about the world’s strongest man or woman, the people with the longest hair, and much more. People with outstanding abilities and features seem to make the world marvel, making them keep asking questions about these gifted individuals. Ever wondered who the tallest man in the world is?
The population of the world is over 7 billion roaming its surface, and it can be a little tricky to say who the tallest man in the world might be. Thanks to the Guinness book of records, information concerning personalities with unique abilities and features are recorded after thorough research has been conducted.
Sultan Kösen and his children
The search for the tallest man in the world resulted from trying to dismiss the biblical claims of giants who roamed the earth. They referred to the King of Bashan, the biblical Og, who measured 9 Assyrian cubits, or 494.03 cm/16 ft 2.5 in height. The founders of the Guinness world record, Norris McWhirter and Ross McWhirter, termed the biblical claims a “confusion of units” and proved it.
In their quest, they came across a young man named Robert Wadlow, who was taller than his peers. While gathering information on Robert, they discovered two regular-sized parents birthed him on February 22, 1918, and he weighed 3.85 kg (8.7 lb) as a baby.
By age 5, Robert had already gotten up to 1.63 m (5 ft. 4 in) and could only wear outfits designed for teenagers. When he turned 8, he was already taller than his dad, who was 5 “11 (180.3cm). His massive height brought up some medical problems, which worsened as he got older. However, that did not limit him from activities he could get involved in.
Since he rose to fame due to his unique feature, Robert has been involved in various activities. He joined the Boy Scouts at 13 and got his uniform, tent, and sleeping bag. He also went on tours with the renowned Ringling Brothers Circus, earning him global acclaim. He also went on a promotional trip with the International Show Company (now INTERCO), who promised to make him free shoes.
Unfortunately, he passed at a very young age of 17, making him the tallest teenager and the world’s tallest man ever. Before he died, his height was recorded at 2.45 m (8 ft. 11.5 in).
The discovery of Robert aroused more curiosity in the minds of the McWhirters, and they kept searching for more people who could match up to Robert Wadlow. In recent years, other people have succeeded Robert as the tallest person in the world. As of writing, the tallest man is Sultan Kösen.
This article will provide every information on the world’s tallest man and all you need to know about him.
Biography of Sultan Kösen
Sultan Kösen was born on December 10, 1982, in the southeastern section of Mardin, Turkey, to Abdulkadir and Camile Kosen. At 251 cm, he holds the Guinness World Record for the tallest living male (8 ft 2.82 in). Since 2009, he has held the Guinness World Record for the tallest living male. His height makes him taller than basketball legends like Yao Ming, who is recognized as one of the tallest NBA players.
Sultan may have been unable to complete his schooling due to his condition and the physical and physiological issues that come with it, such as being unable to fit into a standard-sized automobile, a classroom, or sit among his peers. More importantly, he is concerned about his health. Thus he spends the majority of his time farming.
Sultan Kosen entered the Guinness World Records as the tallest man alive on August 25, 2009, when he measured 8 feet 1 inch. Previously, the tallest man was Chinese-born Bao Xishun, who was 7 feet 9 inches tall.
He would go on to break his own record in 2011 when he measured 8 feet 2 inches. However, the University of Virginia said in 2010 that he was over 8 feet 4 inches tall but was only rendered shorter by his poor posture and scoliosis, a spine curve.
Sultan is married to his love, Merve Dibo, a Syrian woman ten years younger than he is. Merve, like the tallest guy, is a Muslim born and bred in Syria until she met Sultan. She is just 5 ft 9 in (1.75 meters). Merve was the one who had to go from her home country, Syria, Hasaki, to meet him in Turkey.
There, their love story began and blossomed. They met via a mutual acquaintance who introduced them. After dating for a time, they married on October 28, 2013, in an elaborate ceremony attended by over 1500 guests, which included family members. Following the ceremony, the happy couple returned to their specifically created house in Dede köy, where they intend to raise their future children.
Sultan had always worried that he would never find a wife before meeting Dibo. Due to his height and massive physique, other ladies were terrified of him. On the other hand, his wife stated that she fell in love with him the moment she glanced into his eyes. She claimed his good heart drew her to him in the first place, even though many advised her not to marry him due to his height.
At the time of their marriage, Sultan remarked that communication was a significant issue in his marriage. His wife, Merve, only speaks Arabic, but her husband speaks Turkish. Thus this appears to be an issue for them at the time. Likely, the two have subsequently devised an effective communication mechanism for themselves.
It is vital to note that Sultan Kösen’s height is not due to natural causes. He was born with a disorder also known as Gigantism and Acromegaly caused by a tumor in his pituitary glands. That resulted in his speedy growth and bad posture, leading him to walk on crutches.
Although men are supposed to finish getting tall between the ages of 18 and 20, Sultan continued to grow until the age of 30, when doctors stopped his growth in 2012. Kösen lives with his parents, three brothers, and one sister, all of whom are average height.
He had surgery in 2010 at the University of Virginia Medical School, where he got Gamma Knife therapy and drugs to aid his body’s development. Fortunately, the treatment was effective, and Sultan’s development was medically halted in 2012.
Sultan joined the Magic Circus of Samoa at some point in 2014, and he performed in various performances all around the world.
Sultan is not only the tallest man in the world but his hands and feet are also the world’s biggest, measuring about 9 inches in length and 14 inches in length, respectively.
Interestingly, Sultan is taller than Rumeysa Gelgi, the tallest woman in the world, who is also Turkish and measures 7 feet 0.7 inches. Guinness World Records named her the tallest woman living in 2021 when she was 24 years old. Her height is also attributed to a disorder known as Weaver Syndrome, which promotes rapid growth.
Despite his gigantic stature, Sultan is shorter than the tallest man who has lived, Robert Pershing Wadlow, who stood at 8 feet 11 inches. He is, nevertheless, taller than Sandra Elaine Allen, the world’s tallest woman, who is 7 feet 7 inches tall. Sultan is far from the world’s most petite man, Chandra Bahadur Dangi, who stands at barely 54.6 cm (21.5 in).
Conclusion
Sultan Kösen has visited 127 nations and says he is “overjoyed” to hold the record. His drawbacks include not being able to find clothing for his legs measuring 49.5 inches (126 cm), arms measuring 38 inches (97 cm), and not being able to locate shoes for his size 28 feet, as well as having difficulty fitting into a typical automobile.
Sultan Kösen said that being tall allows him to assist his mother with tasks like fixing a broken light bulb and hanging drapes. Sultan was recruited as a teenager by the Galatasaray basketball club, but he was too tall to perform. He is, nevertheless, still a devotee of the sport.
Sultan Kösen’s name is known worldwide, and is well-known for his exceptional height. He spent part of 2016 traveling the Indian Ocean with the Samoan Magic Circus. Sultan has been cast in a lot of Hollywood films. In 2016, he made his feature debut in Achieving the Impossible.
“I eventually decided when the screenwriter came to meet me in Mardin, we discussed it there, and I enjoy the idea of doing the impossible,” he told the Daily Mail.
Sultan has completed many of the goals he discussed in 2009, eight years after becoming a Guinness World Records holder. He obtained life-saving medical therapy that prevented him from growing anymore, moved from the farm to Hollywood, and found love. People all across the world are still inspired by the tale of the world’s tallest man.
