Gigantism, also known as giantism, is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average. In humans, this condition is caused by over-production of growth hormone in childhood.
Martin Van Buren Bates, known as the Kentucky Giant, was an American man notable for his great height. He was 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) tall and weighed 475 lb (215 kg).
Anna Haining Bates was a Canadian woman notable for her great stature of 7 feet 11 inches (2.41 m). She was one of the tallest women ever. Her parents were of average height and were Scottish immigrants.
Robert Pershing Wadlow, also known as the Alton Giant and the Giant of Illinois, was an American man who was the tallest person in recorded history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. He was born and raised in Alton, Illinois, a small city near St. Louis, Missouri.
Eddie Carmel was an American entertainer, born in British Mandate Palestine with gigantism and subsequent acromegaly resulting from a pituitary adenoma. He was popularly known as "The Jewish Giant", "The Happy Giant," and "The World's Biggest Cowboy."
Christopher Paul Greener was a British actor and basketball player who went on to represent the United Kingdom.
Jóhann Kristinn Pétursson, also known as the Icelandic Giant and the Viking Giant, was an Icelandic circus performer and actor who at his peak measured 2.34 metres in height and weighed 163 kilograms (359 lb).
Donald A. Koehler is one of 24 known people in medical history to have verifiably reached a height of 8 feet (240 cm) or more. He was generally recognized as the tallest living man in the world from at least 1969 until his death in 1981. At one time, Koehler stood 8 ft 2 in (249 cm), a result of the medical condition gigantism.
Jacob Rheuben Erlich, professionally credited as Jack Earle, was an American silent film actor and sideshow performer. Earle claimed to be one of the world's tallest humans standing 8 ft 6.5 in (2.60m) however his actual height was only around 7 ft 6 in (229 cm). For 14 years, he traveled with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, then became a salesman. He is referenced in Tom Waits's song "Get Behind The Mule".
Bernard A. Coyne is one of only 20 individuals in medical history to have stood 8 feet (240 cm) or more. Coyne may have reached a height of 8 feet 4 inches (2.54 m) tall at the time of his death in 1921. His World War I draft registration card, dated on August 29, 1918, lists his height as 8 feet (240 cm). The Guinness Book of World Records stated that he was refused induction into the Army (1918) when he stood at a height of 7 feet 9 inches (236 cm).
John Francis Carroll was an American giant and one of 23 known people in medical history to have reached a height of 8 feet (240 cm). He suffered from severe, 2-dimensional spinal curvature (Kyphoscoliosis) and acromegalic gigantism. He had a standing height of 8 ft 1⁄4 in (244 cm) on October 14, 1959, at age 27, but according to calculations, his height would have been 8 ft 8 in (264 cm), assuming normal curvature of the spine. In 1968, he was later measured at 7 ft 10+1⁄2 in (240 cm), having shrunk in stature due to his worsening spinal condition.
John Aasen was an American silent film actor and sideshow performer who was one of the tallest actors in history.
Adam Rainer was an Austro-Hungarian man. He is the only person in recorded history to have been both a dwarf and a giant. He is believed to have had acromegaly.
Sultan Kösen is a Turkish farmer who holds the Guinness World Record for tallest living male at 251 cm.
Patrick Cotter O'Brien was the second of only 23 people in medical history to stand at a verified height of 8 feet (2.44 m). O'Brien was born in Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. His real name was Patrick Cotter and he adopted O'Brien as his stage name in the sideshow circus, claiming descent from the legendarily gigantic Brian Boru. He was also known as the Bristol Giant and the Irish Giant. Another giant of this period, Charles Byrne, also claimed to be an O'Brien.
John Rogan, was an American sharecropper who was recorded as the tallest non-mobile person ever, and the second-tallest person ever at 8 feet 9 inches (267 cm), behind only Robert Wadlow.
Ella Katherine "Kate" Ewing was a Missouri woman considered the world's tallest female of her era. She would use her great height to earn a living as a sideshow attraction, popularly known as "The Missouri Giantess."
Morteza Mehrzadselakjani, often referred to as Morteza Mehrzad, is an Iranian volleyball player who plays on the Iran men's national sitting volleyball team. With a height of 2.46 m, he also holds the record for the longest hand in the world with a size of 29 cm. He is known as the tallest living man in Iran and the second tallest living man in the world. He won three gold medals at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, 2020 Summer Paralympics and 2024 Summer Paralympics, is two-time World Para Volleyball champion, three-time gold medalist at the Asian Games with Iran men's national sitting volleyball team, and three-time winner of the Golden Ball award for the best player.
Olivier Richters is a Dutch bodybuilder and actor who stands at 218 centimetres.
