A history of the world's tallest people from John “Bud” Rogan to Sultan Kösen

Happy birthday to ICON Sultan Kösen.

The world’s tallest man and overall tallest person living turns 42 today.

The record breaker, from Türkiye, stands at a staggering 246.5 cm (8 ft 1 in) and his titles have gone unchallenged since 2009.

Sultan was the first man over 8 ft to be measured by Guinness World Records in over 20 years and he’s certainly cemented his place in history.

Sultan with GWR Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday

He’s one of a very special group of individuals who have, at a point of their lives, been the tallest known person in existence.

Amazingly, Sultan appeared to be of average height until the age of 10, when he suddenly shot up in a rapid growth spurt.

His record-breaking height is down to an over-production of growth hormone from the pituitary gland in the brain.

Sultan has earned worldwide fame through his unique stature, and has spoken of how he strives to do his best to promote his country, culture and people.

He’s had an irrefutably positive impact on the world, sending the message that we should all love and embrace the things that make us unique.

As he celebrates his big day, we’re going to take a look through the history of the world’s tallest people, as featured within the pages of Guinness World Records 2025.

And over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be looking at each of them in depth.

Of course, it’s impossible to go all the way back in history, with documentation not always as comprehensive as it is today.

So, let’s start at 1900…

John “Bud” Rogan

Lived: 1867-1905

Home country: USA

Height: 267 cm (8 ft 9.1 in)

Reign as tallest person: 1900-05

John “Bud” Rogan was the second tallest man who ever lived.

He’s also the tallest person of African descent ever, even though it’s unlikely his true height was even known.

Bud was unable to stand up as an adult and his height was calculated during a medical examination through a series of measurements taken in a seated position.

The cause of his height was attributed to gigantism.

He died at the age of 38 due to complications related to his condition.

Fyodor Makhnov

Lived: 1878-1912

Home country: Belarus

Height: 239 cm (7 ft 10 in)

Reign as tallest person: 1905-12

Billed as Feodor Machnow during his time as a touring attraction, his height was often exaggerated by promoters of events he was appearing at.

He was also known for wearing a big fur hat and tall boots, which added about a foot to his height.

He died at the age of 34 of pneumonia.

Frederick Kempster

Lived: 1889-1918

Home country: UK

Height: 237 cm (7 ft 9.3 in)

Reign as tallest person: 1912-18

Born in London, Frederick became known as the “English Giant” or “Blackburn Giant”.

When he was eight, his father Joseph died and he and his two-year-old brother were placed in an orphanage by their mother Jane.

He was shipped off to Canada as a boy who was actually short for his age, and he returned at age 15 with a congenital knee problem that led to ligament issues and growth of his tibia, which ultimately resulted in his record height.

Frederick toured Europe after joining the cast of a circus. He died at age 29.

Bernard Coyne

Lived: 1897-1921

Home country: USA

Height: 254 cm (8 ft 4 in)

Reign as tallest person: 1918-21

Bernard is thought to have been refused induction into the Army because of his height.

He had gigantism and was still growing when he died at the age of 23.

Albert Kramer

Lived: 1897-1976

Home country: Netherlands

Height: 237.5 cm (7 ft 9.5 in)

Reign as tallest person: 1921-33

During his time as a circus performer, Albert often went by the name “Jan van Albert”, as well as the nickname “Lofty”.

He performed all around the world as a variety artist.

He had a condition called acromegaly, which is linked to the disproportionate growth of body parts, and it’s said he was already 200 cm (6 ft 6 in) by the age of seven.

Albert had to have his legs amputated in 1975 due to vascular and circulatory problems. He died one year later in a nursing home in Amsterdam at the age of 78.

Robert Wadlow

Lived: 1918-40

Home country: USA

Height: 272 cm (8 ft 11.1 in)

Reign as tallest person: 1933-40

Robert is the tallest man ever.

Also known as the “Alton Giant” or “Giant of Illinois”, he continued to grow throughout his adulthood.

His height was caused by hypertrophy of his pituitary gland, which resulted in a high level of human growth hormone.

He needed leg braces to help him walk and didn’t have much feeling in his legs and feet, but ne never used a wheelchair.

Robert was just 22 when he died after his leg brace irritated his ankle and lead to an infection.

Väinö Myllyrinne

Lived: 1909-63

Home country: Finland

Height: 251 cm (8 ft 2.8 in)

Reign as tallest person: 1940-59

Acromegalic giant Väinö was also the tallest soldier and had the longest reign as tallest person after holding on to the title for 19 years.

By age 21, he was 224 cm (7 ft 4 in) tall, but amazingly had a second phase of growth in his 30s.

After serving in the Finnish Army, he ran a chicken farm.

He was 54 when he died.

John Carroll

Lived: 1932-69

Home country: USA

Height: 263.5 cm (8 ft 7.7 in)

Reign as tallest person: 1959-69

John had a curved spine, meaning his actual standing height was much lower than his recorded size – 243.8 cm (7 ft 11.9 in).

Having been born in Buffalo, New York, he was often referred to as the “Buffalo Giant”.

His date of birth was not recorded, so it isn’t known if he was 36 or 37 at the time of his death.

Don Koehler

Lived: 1925-81

Home country: USA

Height: 248.9 cm (8 ft 1.9 in)

Reign as tallest person: 1969-81

Don with GWR's original editors Ross and Norris McWhirter

Montana-born Don, who also had gigantism, was actually a twin, although his sister was of average height, standing at 175 cm (5 ft 9 in).

He worked as a salesman for 25 years and said his height came as a big advantage as potential clients always wanted to meet him and would always remember him.

In later life, he developed kyphosis, a condition that caused his spine to curve.

He died at the age of 55 from a reported heart condition.

Zeng Jinlian

Lived: 1964-82

Home country: China

Height: 246.3 cm (8 ft 0.9 in)

Reign as tallest person: 1981-82

The first woman to make the list, Zeng remains the tallest woman ever.

She’s the only woman known to have grown above 8 ft.

Her gigantism was caused by a tumour that made her pituitary gland overproduce human growth hormone.

She was taller than her mother by the age of five. She was one of four children but the only one of above average height.

Zeng was just 17 when she died from complications of diabetes.

It’s theorised, when comparing her height to Robert Wadlow’s at the same ages, that she may have outgrown him if she’d lived.

Gabriel Estêvão Monjane

Lived: 1944-90

Home country: Mozambique

Height: 245.7 cm (8 ft 0.7 in)

Reign as tallest person: 1982-90

Gabriel’s height was caused by an overactive pituitary gland and his abnormal growth started soon after his birth.

He went on to join a Portuguese circus.

He died at the age of 45 after a fall at his home.

Mohammad Alam Channa

Lived: 1953-98

Home country: Pakistan

Height: 231.7 cm (7 ft 7.2 in)

Reign as tallest person: 1990-98

Although there were initial reports of him being 251 cm (8 ft 3 in) tall, his height was later revealed to be identical to Sandy Allen, the tallest woman living, and they shared the tallest person title.

His date of birth is unknown, so he was either 44 or 45 when he died. He had suffered kidney failure and high blood pressure, and the government decided to send him to the US and pay for his treatment, but unfortunately it was unsuccessful.

Sandy Allen

Lived: 1955-2008

Home country: USA

Height: 231.7 cm (7 ft 7.2 in)

Reign as tallest person: 1990-98

The second and final woman on the list, Sandy wrote about her experiences as the tallest person in a book, Cast a Giant Shadow.

Her height was caused by a tumour on her pituitary gland that led to it releasing growth hormone uncontrollably.

She had surgery in 1977 to stop her growth, and would have continued to get taller without it.

Sandy appeared in movies and TV shows and even had a song written about her – “Hello Sandy Allen” by the band Split Enz.

She used a wheelchair in later life, after her legs and back could no longer support her tall frame.

Sandy died at the age of 53 after struggling with a recurring blood infection, Type 2 diabetes, breathing troubles and kidney failure.

Radhouane Charbib

Lived: 1968-

Home country: Tunisia

Height: 235.9 cm (7 ft 8.8 in)

Reign as tallest person: 1998-2005

Radhouane has remained mostly out of the public eye despite his tenure as the world’s tallest person.

Bao Xi Shun

Lived: 1951-

Home country: China

Height: 236.1 cm (7 ft 8.9 in)

Reign as tallest person: 2005-09

Xi Shun, who once famously used his very long arms to save the lives of two distressed dolphins, says he was a normal height until the age of 16.

He’s said to be the tallest natural man to live without a medical condition that contributed towards his height.

Sultan Kösen

Lived: 1982-

Home country: Türkiye

Height: 251 cm (8 ft 2.8 in)

Reign as tallest person: 2009-present

Sultan, who recently appeared on our Italian TV show Lo Show dei Record, is the current tallest person living.

He’s held the record for 15 years, which means he could one day take over from Väinö Myllyrinne as the person to hold the title for the longest time.

Sultan was 246.5 cm (8 ft 1 in) when he was first measured by GWR.

He’s been his current height since 2011.