The Tallest Woman In Recorded History

Trijntje Cornelisdochter Keever (April 10 or 16, 1616 – July 22, 1633), nicknamed De Groote Meid (in English, The Big Girl), is the tallest female person in recorded history, standing 9 Amsterdam feet or 2.54 metres (8 ft 4 in) tall at the time of her death at age seventeen.

Trijntje Keever was the daughter of Cornelis Keever and Anna Pouwels. Cornelis was a Dutch skipper and Anna was his maid; he married her on May 24, 1605. Trijntje was born on April 10 or 16, 1616 in Edam.

Trijntje’s parents took her to carnivals to earn some money by letting people see her. Trijntje first received public attention when she was nine years old and had reached the height of 2 metres (6 ft 7 in). A royal company consisting of the Bohemian king Frederick V, Elector Palatine, his wife Elizabeth of Bohemia and the princess Amalia van Solms-Braunfels, living in The Hague at the time, visited her, curious about the “nine-year-old girl taller than every man in Europe.”

Trijntje died of cancer at the age of 17 in Ter Veen (Veere?). She was buried on July 7, 1633 in Edam, her town of birth. Her epitaph is said to have read, “Trijntje Crelis groote meidt oudt 17 jaer”, or, in English: “Trijntje Crelis, big girl, 17 years of age”. In the townhall of Edam is a lifesize painting by an unknown artist portraying Trijntje in civilian clothes with a belt holding at her right a keyring and at her left a pincushion and a sheath with a knife, fork, and spoon. Her original shoes are also on display. If there were a size for the shoes, they would be European size 54 (36 cm or 14 in long).

Source: wikipedia.org

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The Tallest Man In Recorded History

Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 – July 15, 1940) was a man who is the tallest person in history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. Wadlow is sometimes known as the Alton Giant or Giant of Illinois because of his upbringing in Alton, Illinois.

Wadlow reached 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m) in height and weighed 222 kg (490 lb) at his death at age 22. His great size and his continued growth in adulthood was due to hypertrophy of his pituitary gland which results in an abnormally high level of human growth hormone. He showed no indication of an end to his growth even at the time of his death.


Later Years

Wadlow's size began to take its toll: he required leg braces to walk, and had little feeling in his legs and feet. Despite these encounters, Wadlow was never confined to a wheelchair. On June 27, 1940 (eighteen days before his death), he was measured at 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m) by doctors C. M. Charles and Cyril MacBryde of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.


Wadlow was an American celebrity; he was well-known due to his 1936 U.S. tour with the Ringling Brothers Circus and his 1938 promotional tour with the INTERCO. He continued participating in tours and public appearances.

Death
 
On July 4, 1940, while making a professional appearance at the National Forest Festival, a faulty brace irritated his ankle, causing a blister and subsequent infection. Doctors treated him with a blood transfusion and emergency surgery, but his condition worsened and on July 15, 1940, he died in his sleep. He was 22.

An estimated 40,000 people attended Wadlow's funeral on July 19. He was buried in a half-ton coffin that required twelve pallbearers to carry, which was interred within a vault of solid concrete. It was believed that Wadlow's family were concerned for the sanctity of his body after his death, and went to these lengths of security to ensure it would never be disturbed or stolen.

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The Tallest Living Woman

Yao Defen (Chinese: 姚德芬; pinyin: Yáo Défēn) of China, (born 15 July 1972) is claimed to be the tallest woman in the world (2.33 m; 7 ft 8 in). The Guinness Book of World Records said American Sandy Allen was the world's tallest woman until Allen's death on August 13, 2008, but dispute Defen's claim. She weighs 200 kg (440 lbs) and has size 26 (UK) / 78 (EU) feet. Her gigantism is due to a tumor in her pituitary gland.


Early life

Yao Defen was born to poor farmers in the town of Liuan in the Anhui province of Shucheng County. At birth she weighed 6.16 pounds. At age 3 she was eating more than three times the amount of food that other three-year-olds were eating. When she was 11 years old she was about 6 foot 2 inches tall. She was 6 foot 8 inches tall by the age of 15.

The story of this "woman giant" began to spread rapidly after she went to see a doctor at age 15 for an illness. After that, many companies attempted to train her to be a sports star. The plans were abandoned, however, because Defen was too weak. Because she is illiterate, since 1992 Yao Defen has been forced to earn a living by traveling with her father and performing.

Yao Defen's giant stature was caused by a large tumor in the pituitary gland of her brain, which was releasing too much growth hormone and caused excessive growth in her bones. Six years ago, a hospital in Guangzhou Province removed the tumor, and she stopped growing.

The tumor returned and she was treated in Shanghai in 2007, but was sent home for 6 months with the hope that medication would reduce her tumor enough to allow surgery. The second surgery was never performed due to lack of funds.

In 2009 TLC devoted a whole night show to her. She suffered from a fall in her home and had internal bleeding of the brain. She recovered and felt some happiness after a visit from the world's tallest man, also living in China.


Medical help

A British television programme filmed a documentary on her and helped raise money so she could get proper medical care. They did measure her and according to the documentary she's 7ft 8in tall. Two leading doctors in acromegaly agreed to help Yao. She was taken to a nearby city hospital, where imaging procedures revealed that a small portion of her tumor, removed many years before, still remained, causing continuing problems, including weakening vision as it pressed against her optic nerve. She returned home, then was admitted for a month under observation in the larger Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, and given dietary supplements. In that hospital, her growth hormone was greatly slowed down, although it is still a problem. Upon her return home to her mother and brother, she was able to walk with crutches, unassisted by others, and was given a six-month supply of medicines and supplements in hopes of improving her condition enough to undergo surgery.


Acromegaly

Yao currently suffers from hypertension, heart disease, poor nutrition, and osteoporosis. Acromegaly often results from a tumor within the pituitary gland that causes excess growth hormone secretion. As a result, the body's features become enlarged. It can also delay the onset of puberty as is the case with Yao. She has no secondary sex characteristics. Potential complications without necessary surgery include blindness and eventually premature death.

She lives near her mother (who is only 4 ft 8 inches tall) in a small village in rural China.

Source: wikipedia.org

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The Tallest Living Man

PODOLYANTSY, Ukraine - At 8 feet 5 inches (2.57m), ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk sets the world record for the Tallest Man, overshadowing a Chinese man who previously held the title.



President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine, left, shaking hands with Leonid Stadnyk, 36, who is believed to be the world's tallest man at 2.57 meters, or 8 feet, 5.5 inches. (AP Photo/Mykhailo Markiv, File)



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.

Olena Stadnyk looks on as her son Leonid Stadnyk swings on a fence near their house in Podolyantsi. (Reuters: Gleb Garanich)







Born
to parents who were 1.73m (5ft 8in) and 1.52m (5ft) tall in a tiny
village 209km (130 miles) west of the capital, Kiev, Mr Stadnyk was not
unusually large as a young boy.

Mr Stadnyk has claimed to be the world's tallest man before, but his record was not verified because he repeatedly refused to be measured by the Guinness Book of Records.



By the time he had qualified as a vet and begun working at a clinic an
hour away, Mr Stadnyk measured 2.03m (6ft 8in). He soon outgrew his bike
and began taking the bus.



He later became too large for the bus and had to use the family's horse-drawn cart.




Leonid
Stadnyk harnesses his horse in the village of Podoliantsy, Ukraine's
northwestern Zhytomyr region, 212 kilometers (131.74 miles) west of the
capital Kiev.(Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo)



Since then he has made numerous online friends, including several in the
United States, Australia and Russia. Stadnik hopes to learn English so
he can communicate better with his Anglophone contacts; currently, he
relies on computer translations, which he says are often inadequate.



Mr Stadnyk had to give up his job six years ago, after his feet were
frostbitten because he could not afford proper shoes for his size 64
feet.



Leonid Stadnyk, a 37-year-old former veterinarian, is 8 inches taller
(20 centimetres) than the former titleholder, China's Bao Xishun, who
measured 7 feet 9 inches.



Since his recognition by Ukrainian record keepers four years ago, and by
Guinness in 2007, people from all over Ukraine and the world have
shipped him outsized clothing, provided his home with running water and
recently presented him with a giant bicycle.

Ukrainian
veterinarian, Leonid Stadnyk, 2.57 m (8 feet 5 inches) tall, the
world's tallest living man, rides a bicycle specially made for him, in
the village of Podoliantsy, Ukraine's northwestern Zhytomyr region, 212
km west of the capital Kiev on March 23, 2008. Stadnik's growth spurt
started at age 14 after a brain operation apparently stimulated his
pituitary gland. Stadnyk, 37, is still growing up. (AP)



"Thanks to good people I have shoes and clothes," said the 37-year-old
former veterinarian, who still lives with his 66-year-old mother.



...He's got a new car now, courtesy of Ukrainian President Viktor
Yushchenko. He went to Kiev this week to take charge of the super-size
van.



Stadnyk at first struggled to squeeze into the passenger's seat, his knees nearly reaching his face.



Once in, Mr Yushchenko briefly drove the beaming Stadnyk around. Local authorities have promised to supply fuel.

Ukrainian president presented Leonid Stadnyk with a car which was
specially adapted for him by Ukrainian corporation Autozaz-Daewoo.



"In this car I will be able to drive more and to travel more, as I very much enjoy travelling ," Stadnyk told reporters.

To
keep his height and weight in check, a Russian engineer has developed a
body-building machine, which suits tall people. The Russian engineer,
Aleksander Barshulyak, said, "the aim of this machine is to train leg
muscles and the strength of the joints." Stadnyk said, "I have problems
with my weight and my legs tire often. I think this is normal for me,
but I am working on this. I train myself. And this body-building machine
that was presented to me will help me fight my aches."

Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko's personal tailor has made Stadnyk two tracksuits .



Local authorities have also promised to supply gas to Stadnik's village,
200 km west of the capital, Kiev. On Sunday, a local organisation for
the disabled gave Stadnyk a giant bike so he can pedal to the grocery
store, which is in a nearby village. The group also presented Stadnik
with a fitness machine.



"I have always dreamt that my life and the life of my loved ones...
would become more comfortable," Stadnyk said. "My dream is coming true."




His neighbours joke that they may also benefit from Stadnyk's success.
"Of course we are proud of him — we may have gas here soon thanks to
him," said Nila Kravchuk, 75.

Since he quit his job, Stadnik has concentrated on managing the family
garden and taking care of his three cows, one horse and assorted pigs
and chickens. He lives with his mother Halyna, 66, and his sister
Larysa, 42.



Stadnyk says his dream now is finding a soul mate, just like the former
titleholder, China's Bao Xishun, who was married in 2007. "I think the
future holds that for me," he said.



The tallest man in recorded history was Illinois native Robert Pershing Wadlow, who was 8 feet 11 inches and died in 1940 at the age of 22.



Source: worldrecordsacademy.org





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Sultan Kosen

Sultan Kosen
is a Turkish man who is the current record holder of the tallest living
man in the world as recognised by Guinness World Records.



 Records



Kosen's height was recorded at 2.47 m (8 ft 1.2 in) in his home
country by Guinness World Records, at August 25, 2009, overtaking former
world record holder Bao Xishun who stands 2.36 m (7 ft 8.9 in) tall.
Kosen is also the current Guinness World Record holder of 'largest
hands', and 'largest feet', measuring 27.5 cm and 36.5 cm respectively.



 Personal life



Born and raised near Mardin, Turkey, Kosen's growth as a child was
normal until the age of ten when he was diagnosed with pituitary
gigantism after doctors discovered a tumor behind his eyes. The tumor
had put excess pressure on his pituitary gland and caused his extreme
growth. He underwent a series of surgeries and his growth continued
until the tumour was removed in 2008. His condition has caused other
medical problems. Kosen suffers stress on his knees that necessitates
the use of walking canes for most activities.



Kosen
lives with his parents, three brothers and sister, who are all normal
sized. He was unable to complete his schooling because of his height and
works part-time as a farmer. Despite his height he claims to enjoy a
normal lifestyle and enjoys playing computer games with his friends. He
describes the advantages of being tall as seeing from great distance,
being able to help out his family with domestic jobs such as changing
light bulbs and hanging curtains. He lists disadvantages as not being
able to find clothes or shoes that fit or finding it extremely hard to
fit into a regular size car.



When asked what his hopes are after being officially given the title he
said: "To travel and see the world and have a car that accommodates my
size! My biggest dream though, is to get married and have children - I'm
looking for love.

 

Source: wikipedia.org, contactmusic.com

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The Longest Bridge - Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge

The Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge, also known as the Pearl Bridge, has the longest central span of any suspension bridge, at 1,991 metres (6,532 ft). It is located in Japan and was completed in 1998. The bridge links the city of Kobe on the mainland of Honshū to Iwaya on Awaji Island by crossing the busy Akashi Strait. It carries part of the Honshū-Shikoku Highway.

The bridge has three spans. The central span is 1,991 m (6,532 ft), and the two other sections are each 960 m (3,150 ft). The bridge is 3,911 m (12,831 ft) long overall. The central span was originally only 1,990 m (6,529 ft), but the Kobe earthquake on January 17, 1995, moved the two towers sufficiently (only the towers had been erected at the time) so that it had to be increased by 1 m (3.3 ft). 
The bridge was designed with a two-hinged stiffening girder system, allowing the structure to withstand winds of 286 kilometres per hour (178 mph), earthquakes measuring to 8.5 on the Richter scale, and harsh sea currents. The bridge also contains pendulums that are designed to operate at the resonance frequency of the bridge to damp forces. The two main supporting towers rise 298 m (978 ft) above sea level, and the bridge can expand because of heating up to 2 metres (7 ft) over the course of a day. Each anchorage required 350,000 tonnes (340,000 LT; 390,000 ST) of concrete. The steel cables have 300,000 kilometres (190,000 mi) of wire: each cable is 112 centimetres (44 in) in diameter and contains 36,830 strands of wire.

  Source:wikipedia.org

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The Largest Monument - Gateway Arch

The Gateway Arch, also known as the Gateway to the West, is an integral part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and the iconic image of St. Louis, Missouri. It was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen and structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947. It stands 630 feet (192 m) tall, and is 630 feet (192 m) wide at its base, making it the tallest monument in the United States. Construction of the arch started on February 12, 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965. The monument opened to the public on July 10, 1967.

The cross-sections of its legs are equilateral triangles, narrowing from 54 feet (16 m) per side at the base to 17 feet (5.2 m) at the top. Each wall consists of a stainless steel skin covering a sandwich of two carbon steel walls with reinforced concrete in the middle from ground level to 300 feet (91 m), with carbon steel and rebar from 300 feet (91 m) to the peak. The interior of the Arch is hollow and contains a unique transport system leading to an observation deck at the top. The interior of the Arch also contains two emergency stairwells of 1076 steps each, in the event of a need to evacuate the Arch or if a problem develops with the tram system.

The base of each leg at ground level had an engineering tolerance of one sixty-fourth of an inch or the two legs would not meet at the top.

During construction, both legs were built up simultaneously. When the time came to connect both legs together at the apex, thermal expansion of the sunward facing south leg prevented it from aligning precisely with the north leg. This alignment problem was solved when the St. Louis Fire Department sprayed the south leg with water from firehoses until it had cooled to the point where it aligned with the north leg.
It is the tallest habitable structure in Missouri, 7 feet higher than the 623 foot spire of One Kansas City Place in Kansas City, and 37 feet higher than the roof of Metropolitan Square in St. Louis, Missouri.

Observation area

Near the top of the arch, the rider exits the compartment and climbs a slight grade to enter the arched observation area. Thirty-two small windows (16 per side) measuring 7 by 27 inches (180 mm × 690 mm) allow views across the Mississippi River and southern Illinois with its prominent Mississippian culture mounds to the east at Cahokia Mounds, and the City of Saint Louis and St. Louis County to the west beyond the city. On a clear day, one can see up to thirty miles (48 km).

Source: wikipedia.org

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The Heaviest Woman In Recorded History

Carol Ann Yager (1960-1994) holds the distinction of having been one of the most severely obese people in history.

Weight

Yager is perhaps more notable for having lost the most weight by natural (non-surgical) means, in the shortest documented time (521 lbs. in three months). While others have registered larger total weight loss, some were assisted by bariatric surgery and/or cosmetic procedures to remove excess tissues, and all were over longer periods of time; 19 months (with surgical assistance) in the case of Guinness' record holder, Michael Hebranko, and 16 months for John Brower Minnoch, (said to be the heaviest man ever recorded). Guinness' female record holder, Rosalie Bradford's weight loss took over 1 year (420 lbs. in the first year), and she underwent at least five surgical sessions to remove tissue during that time.
When Yager died in 1994 at the age of 34, she weighed about 1200 lbs (544 kg), and was 5' 7" (170 cm) in height. Bizarre magazine reported that she was estimated to have been more than 5' wide (152 cm), although this measurement has not been verified by Yager's medical team or family members. Shortly before her death, however, she was able to fit through her custom-built 48" (121 cm) wide front door. Published reports quoted her then-boyfriend as stating that he estimated her peak weight at about 1600 pounds (727 kg), but when questioned about this estimate, Yager's doctor declined comment.

Early life

Yager stated that she had developed an eating disorder as a child in response to being sexually abused by a "close family member," although in later interviews, she indicated that there were other contributing factors to her severe obesity, or "skeletons in my closet," and "monsters," as she was quoted.

She lived throughout most of her life in Beecher, Michigan, in Mount Morris Township, near Flint, Michigan, and was cared for in her final years by health care professionals, friends, her daughter Heather, and other family members, many of whom visited daily. Eventually, she was moved into a nursing home.

She appeared on The Jerry Springer Show, and was the subject of attention from several dieting gurus.

Health Issues

In January 1993, she was admitted to Hurley Medical Center, weighing-in at 1189 pounds (539 kg). She suffered from cellulitis (her skin was breaking down due to a bacterial infection), and immunodeficiency (weakened immune system). She stayed in the hospital for three months, where she was restricted to a 1200 calorie diet, and while there lost 521 pounds (236 kg), though most of this was believed to have been fluid. (Severely obese people often suffer from edema, and their weight can fluctuate with astonishing speed as fluid is taken up or released.) Yager suffered from many other obesity-related health problems as well, including breathing difficulty, a dangerously high blood sugar level, and stress on her heart and other organs.

As is common in extreme cases of obesity, Yager was not able to stand or walk, because her muscles were not strong enough to support her, due to atrophy. Yager was frequently hospitalized, 13 times in two years, according to Beecher Fire Department chief Bennie Zappa. Each trip required as many as 15 to 20 firefighters from two stations to assist ambulance workers to convey Yager to the ambulance in relay fashion. One team inside the house would pass her through the doorway to another team on the outside, who would pass her to another team inside the ambulance, where she would ride on the floor. Each trip cost the township up to $450.00 per station.

Death

A short time before her death, Yager's latest boyfriend, Larry Maxwell, who was characterized by her family as being "an opportunist who courted media attention for money-making possibilities," married her friend, Felicia White. Maxwell had said that the only donation in Yager's name he ever received was for $20, although numerous talk shows, newspapers, radio stations, and other national and international media are reported to have offered her cash and other gifts in exchange for interviews, pictures, etc. Diet maven Richard Simmons was quoted as saying that he was "angry that Yager's story was actively peddled to tabloid and television media by Maxwell and others."

Yager's death certificate lists kidney failure as the cause of death, with morbid obesity and multiple organ failure as contributing causes.

Yager was buried privately, with about 90 friends and family members attending memorial services.

Source: wikipedia.org

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