Top 10 Tallest People Currently Alive
The tallest people are those that go down in the history books. There is much fascination surrounding their lives and how they live. Here are the top 10 tallest people in the world that are still currently living.
10. Neil Fingleton, 7 ft. 71/2 in.
Born on December 18, 1980, Neil Fingleton is an English actor and former basketball player. He holds the record as the tallest British-born man ever to exist at 7 foot, 7.5 inches. This title has been confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records, replacing Christopher Greener who stands at 7 foot, 6.25 inches tall. Originally, Fingleton moved to the United States to play basketball, but moved back to his home city of Durham to pursue a career in show business instead. Currently, Fingleton is filming the upcoming picture 47 Ronin, which is to be released on Christmas Day 2013.
9. Igor Vovkovinskiy, 7 ft. 81/3 in.
Igor Vovkovinskiy is a 30-year-old Ukrainian-American law student and actor. He is best known for being the tallest person currently living in the United States. Vovkovinskiy’s height is attributed to having a tumor pressing on his pituitary gland, releasing excessive amounts of growth hormone into his body. He is the first tallest living person from two different countries. His height of 7 foot, 8.33 inches has been confirmed. In fact, in September 2012, an Australian version of 60 Minutes claimed that the man is now over 7.97 feet tall.
8. Ri Myung-Hun, 7 ft. 81/2 in.
Born on September 14, 1967 in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Ri Myung-Hun is a basketball player. His dream was to eventually play in the NBA. To follow this plan, Myung-Hun moved to Canada to train, but he was unable to play due to a ban on trade with North Korea. The United States State Department eventually allowed him to play on the condition that none of his earnings could be sent back to North Korea. North Korean officials responded by refusing to let Myung-Hun leave, forcing the man to give up his NBA dream.
7. Hussain Bisad, 7 ft. 81/2 in.
Hussain Bisad is currently the tallest living Somalian at 7 foot, 8.5 inches tall. He is reported to have the largest hands of anyone alive, as his hands measure 10.59 inches long. It is reported that Bisad’s abnormal height is caused by a condition called Pituitary Gigantism that makes growth continue after most people typically stop developing. Like Igor Vovkovinskiy, doctors believe that a tumor is causing the abnormal growth. Although Bisad is originally from Somalia, he fled after being pursued and was granted asylum in Britain where he now lives.
6. Radhouane Charbib, 7 ft. 81/2 in.
Born on October 27, 1968, Radhouane Charbib is a Tunisian man that was recognized as the tallest living man by the Guinness Book of World Records until January 15, 2005. The man who took his place was Bao Xishun, who was measured at Chifeng City Hospital, Inner Mongolia, China. He was only a mere two millimeters taller than Charbib.
5. Zhang Juncai, 7 ft. 11 in.
Zhang Juncai was born in 1966 and he comes from the Shanxi Province in China. He was officially confirmed as China’s tallest man on November 23, 2004 standing at a height of 7 foot, 11 inches tall. He stands 2.4 inches taller than Bao Xishun, the man who replaced Radhouane Charbib as the world’s tallest man, and an astounding 28 inches taller than the average Chinese man. Juncai was a friend of the world’s tallest woman Yao Defen who stood at 7 foot, 9 inches tall.
4. Brahim Takioullah, 8 ft. 1 in.
Born in Guelmim, Morocco on January 26, 1982, Brahim Takioullah is formally known as the second tallest person alive. Others taller than him have been reported, but only those recognized by theGuinness Book of World Records can be formally acknowledged. He holds a record for the world’s largest feet of a living person, as his left foot measures 15 inches large and his right foot measures 14.76 inches large. He is currently undergoing treatment in Paris to reduce the size of his tumor, which is affecting his pituitary gland.
3. Sultan Kösen, 8 ft. 3 in.
Sultan Kösen currently holds the Guinness World Record for tallest living male at 8 foot, 3 inches tall. Like most of the other men on this list, Kösen’s condition is due to a tumor that affects his pituitary gland. Unlike some of the other men, however, he must use crutches in order to walk. Beginning in 2010, Kösen began undergoing Gamma Knife treatment for his pituitary tumor at the University of Virginia Medical School. Additionally, he was provided with medication to control his excessive levels of growth hormone. As of 2011, his hormone levels were almost normal and it was confirmed in 2012 that the treatment was effective in halting Kösen’s growth.
2. Ajaz Ahmed, 8 ft. 3 in.
Ajaz Ahmed, born in 1976, is a Pakistani farmer. Located in a village in Daryakhan, Punjab, Ahmed claims to stand at 8 foot, 3 inches tall. This information has never been verified, however. Ahmed is reported to be a victim of hormonal dysfunction. He is a farmer in a rural family, it is alleged that Ahmed came to the notice of various social workers in the area who got him in touch with people associated with the world’s tallest man at the time, Alam Channa.
1. Leonid Stadnyk, 8 ft. 51/2 in.
Coming from the Ukraine and born in 1971, the world’s tallest man still alive, though not confirmed, is Leonid Stadnyk. At a reported 8 foot, 5.5 inches tall, Stadnyk refused to be measured according to the standards set out to get into the Guinness Book of World Records, therefore his height is still somewhat speculative. Stadynk’s excessive growth is said to have started after a surgical operation on his brain at the age of 14. He developed a pituitary gland tumor which caused the secretion of large amounts of growth hormone, resulting in a condition known as Acromegalic Gigantism. The tumor is reported to have mysteriously disappeared, however, adding even more interest to this potential world record icon.
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