What is he like, the shortest man in the world? Remarkable facts. The smallest and tallest people in the world (16 photos)
Human height is the distance from the very top of the head to the plane of the feet, and this indicator depends on many factors: gender, age, heredity, ecology of the region, congenital disease. Height can also be determined by belonging to a particular nation or race.
For example, the average height of Chinese men is 165 cm, and that of Dutch men is 184 cm. In this case, the concepts of “tallest” and “smallest” can be considered relative.
However, there are two people in the world who can be called the “best” in terms of growth. Meet, Chandra Dangi And Sultan Kozen.
Chandra Dangi
Nepalese Chandra Dangi is the smallest person in the world. His height is only 54.6 cm and his weight is 14.5 kg. Dungy's name is included in the Guinness Book of Records, and this happened when he was already 72 years old.
Popularity history
Everything was decided by chance. One day the little man was seen by a Nepalese woodcutter, who advised him to apply to the Book, which he had never even heard of before. Everyone is already accustomed to the longest hair or the largest stadiums in the world, but such a record must be recorded.
No sooner said than done! Soon, “record” representatives came to visit Chandra, who, as is expected in such cases, took all the necessary measurements three times, which took no more, no less, 24 hours.
Chandra Dangi lived in a remote village located 400 kilometers from Kathmandu. The little man was engaged in weaving and helped his family take care of cows and buffaloes. Despite living for many years, Dungy never visited a doctor or took medications.
Until he entered the Guinness Book of Records, Chandra was not considered anything special in his village. He was very optimistic and never complained about life's hardships. He was not ashamed to ask for help, which was never refused. Chandra Dangi passed away in 2015 at the age of 76.
Sultan Kozen
Sultan Kozen is the tallest man in the world, and his height is 247 cm, thanks to which the Turkish citizen was included in the Guinness Book of Records. By the way, with his height it is very difficult for him to get into a car. Although a long car could fit this giant inside.
History of the record holder
Until the age of 10, Sultan was an ordinary boy, who did not particularly stand out among his peers. Some time later, doctors discovered he had a pituitary tumor, which led to the rare disease acromegaly. Since then, Sultan began to grow rapidly, overtaking not only his classmates, but also older guys.
For some time, Kozen did not experience any difficulties and even successfully played for the basketball team. But later it became clear that the growth process did not stop, and it became increasingly difficult for the young man to move. The doctors tried to help, and the disease even subsided for a while, but it was only a temporary “respite.”
American doctors from the Medical University of Virginia managed to stop the growth of the Sultan, and from 2011 to the present, the growth of the tallest man in the world has remained unchanged.
Growth problems did not allow the Sultan to finish school and get a profession. Due to the enormous load on his spine, he cannot move normally and does this only with the help of crutches. Of course, many difficulties arise with finding suitable clothes and shoes, transport, but, on the other hand, Sultan is a completely ordinary person who loves music, cinema and computer games. Plus, he is happy in his family life, having married his beloved girl.
Meeting
The smallest and tallest man in the world once managed to meet. This event took place in London at a ceremony dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Guinness Book of Records in November 2014. According to the record holders, receiving the title “The Most” changed their whole lives: Sultan stopped sitting at home, having a complex about his height, began to communicate more with people and made many friends from different parts of the world, and Chandra was very happy about the opportunity to travel.
Short people often come across in our life. Despite this, they can fully be considered full-fledged people (and those who laugh at this illness should not be called people at all). They live for their own pleasure, work and sometimes even earn good money.
Junri Baluinga (67 cm)
However, sometimes you can meet such tiny inhabitants of our planet that they are rightfully included in the Guinness Book of Records. Today we will tell you, dear readers, about the shortest person in the world - a resident of the Philippines, Junry Baluing, whose height was some 59.93 centimeters! Please note that to register a record, the person must be at least 18 years old. Junri also had to wait for this moment. He removed Nepalese Khagendra Thapa Magar, whose height is currently 67 centimeters, from the pedestal.
Although Balwinga can walk, he does not attend school. In addition, it is very difficult for him to cover long distances. Nevertheless, the record holder is not at all discouraged. On the contrary, he is proud of the record. Talking about life, Junri says that he would like to get a girl, preferably a small one, with whom he would have children. In the meantime, “baby,” as his mother affectionately calls him, is glad that now he can finally try beer - his age allows it! To get drunk, a couple of hundred grams of this foamy drink is probably enough for him...
Junri has brothers and sisters, but unlike him, they have no deviations. According to the record holder’s mother, the boy stopped growing at about one year. Despite contacting many doctors, it has still not been possible to find out the reason for the guy’s cessation of growth. By the way, his speech is not informative, since it has stopped developing - he answers only in phrases.
As you know, entry into the Guinness Book of Records does not provide for a monetary reward, but the parents hope that charitable organizations will help their family unravel the mystery of Junri’s unusual condition and, perhaps, help cope with this amazing illness. Here is his photo:
Gul Mohammed (57 cm)
The smallest person in the world in the entire history of mankind is Gul Mohammed, who was born and lived in India. His height was 57 centimeters and his weight was 17 kg. Interestingly, he died from a cold complication that was caused by excessive smoking.
Chandra Bahadur Dangi (54.6 cm)
However, according to the latest data, Gul should soon be replaced from the podium by 72-year-old Chandra Bahadur Dangi, originally from Nepal - his height is only 54.6 centimeters! Why was nothing known about him until now? It turned out that the Nepalese never visited hospitals, even if he got sick. He himself claims that the best cure for any disease is turmeric dissolved in hot water.
Chandra says that he has never had anything particularly serious in his life. Even now, at an advanced age, he feels just fine. He has two sisters and six brothers, but they are of the usual average height. He lives in the village of Dang, which is located in the middle of nowhere (the nearest city is several hundred kilometers away). The future record holder is engaged in sewing hats and mats, which are purchased by local residents (mats are needed to make it easier to carry heavy loads on the back). On rare occasions, he monitors the cattle, but since he is unable to manage them due to his size, in case of problems he calls local residents.
Chandra also said that at the age of 16 he lost both his parents, so from that time on his older brother took care of him. Even now, his brother’s children continue to take care of him. In general, he lives well and needs practically nothing. However, there is an unpleasant point - Dungy very much regrets that he never managed to get married and have children.
Jyote Amge (69.8 cm)
If we talk about women, then at the end of 2011 a new leader appeared here - the height of 18-year-old Jyote Amge from India is only 62.8 cm. For the sake of this record, representatives of the Guinness Book went to the Indian state of Nagpur, where our heroine lives. By the way, the previous record holder is American Bridgette Jordan, whose height is 69.8 cm.
For a long time, Jyoti was considered the tiniest teenager on Earth. The attending doctors, who periodically examine the girl, said that over the past two years she has grown by only one centimeter, so her growth is unlikely to continue in the future. She suffers from a form of dwarfism - achondroplasia.
The girl herself claims that she has been dreaming about this record for several years. Despite her tiny stature, Jyoti wants everyone around her to treat her the same as any other adult. Her favorite pastime is shopping with her friends and trying on beautiful outfits.
By the way, she has already started studying acting and has already received an invitation to shoot for two Bollywood films.
Edward Nino Hernande (70 cm)
Continuing the list, one cannot fail to note the Colombian Edward Nino Hernandez, who in 2010 was considered the smallest man in the world and was even included in the Guinness Book of Records. Immediately after this, all newspapers published news about the new record holder, whose height at that time was only 70 centimeters at 24 years old.
Edward was a very unusual child from his very birth. His mother recalls that as soon as the boy was born, everyone was surprised at his size: with a height of 38 centimeters, he weighed no more than one and a half kilograms. Nevertheless, he grew for the first time after birth, but growth almost completely stopped when the boy was two years old. It should be noted that Hernandez’s family is quite ordinary. He also has several siblings who are not developmentally delayed, including his younger brother Miguel, who is now 11 years old and only 93cm tall.
Interestingly, Edward earns his own money - he dances in supermarkets. The only thing the record holder doesn’t like is when some people try to touch him or even pick him up - they apparently don’t realize that this can be unpleasant for a person.
In general, Hernandez is satisfied with his life, since it is rich and interesting. The only thing that saddened him immediately after getting into the Guinness Book of Records was the message that in Nepal there was a man who was much shorter than Edward himself. It was about Junry Balwing, who you can read about in the first part of this article.
Ajay Kumar (76 cm)
In the mid-2000s, the whole world learned about Ajay Kumar, an Indian actor whose height barely reached 76 cm!
When Ajay was born into this world, doctors almost immediately informed his mother that the baby would be a midget. But that didn't scare her. A much bigger problem was that the child could not walk. However, at the age of four, a miracle happened and Kumar himself climbed the stairs to one of the temples.
As soon as the boy went to school, his acting abilities began to manifest themselves. His mother recalls that wherever her baby appeared, all attention was always focused on him, and Ajay really liked it. A little later, he began performing on stage, and was so successful that he began to earn very good money by local standards.
After some time, our hero went for a screen test, but initially the director greeted him with a grin. However, he quickly changed his mind about the aspiring actor and gave him the main role in the film “The Wonderful Island.” The film received recognition, and Ajay became the audience's favorite. Currently, he has starred in more than 20 feature films and today continues to act, including in TV series.
Ajay also runs the Little People Association, which has about 300 Lilliputians. The association fights for rights and various benefits for people whose height is no more than 130 centimeters.
Aditya Romeo Dev (80 cm)
Our next hero is distinguished not only by his small height, but also by the title “The smallest bodybuilder in the world.”
Unfortunately, at the age of 23, Aditya died of a brain aneurysm. Despite this, the parents and friends of the deceased claim that the young man felt great until the last minute.
Romeo Dev was different from other small people in that he had a proportional body build, similar to an adult. This is why Aditya never considered himself “different” and always strived for fame. For this, Aditya even went to the gym, where he began working out according to a special program prepared by a trainer exclusively for him. In addition to exercise equipment, he periodically worked out on treadmills.
However, the main goal of our hero was not a figure at all, but to attract attention to himself. He wanted to become a show business star, so he appeared more than once on various talk shows, where he talked about himself and his life.
In 2008, doctors discovered he had a rare disease that blocks arteries in the brain, so they warned him that he could die at any moment. Alas, this is what happened - one day Aditya simply fainted. His parents took him to the hospital, where he fell into a coma and died. Doctors said that if the guy had been taken to the hospital earlier, he still would not have been able to avoid death.
Kagendra Tapa Magar (60 cm)
Kagendra (Khagendra) Thapa Magar was born on October 14, 1992 in Nepal, Baglung Province. His parents, Roop and Dana, are villagers. Neighbors gave the boy the unusual nickname “little Buddha.” Mom recalls that at birth her child weighed only 600 grams; by the time he reached adulthood, the boy’s weight increased 10 times.
Kagendra's height is only 60 cm, which allowed him to become the smallest person according to the Guinness Book of Books several years ago. Doctors could not determine what caused the dwarfism, but they agree that a dysfunction of the pituitary gland was to blame. But despite his height, Magar leads a very active lifestyle. So, a young man helps sell fruit at the market to his parents, in his free time he travels around the outskirts of his country, performs in a dance group, and also watches ultimate fights on TV. It is also worth noting that Kagendra loves to read books and wants to get a higher education.
By the way, scientists have concluded that residents of Nepal are susceptible to the birth of children with pituitary gland disorders, as well as higher mortality compared to neighboring countries. And this, apparently, is due to the fact that young people get married before reaching adulthood.
Nature never ceases to surprise us. Along with people of average height, there are both the tallest and shortest people in the world. The latter will be discussed in our article. The reasons that a person is born very small or stops growing after some time can be both genetic changes in the body and the consequences of serious diseases, such as pituitary dwarfism and osteogenesis imperfecta.
height 74 cm
(He Pingping ) originally from China lived only 21 years. He died in March 2010. The height of one of the smallest people in the world was 74 cm. He suffered from osteogenesis imperfecta, a disease in which bones become more brittle. Such people are called “fragile” or “crystal”. Usually the disease is inherited, but sometimes it can be caused by an individual mutation in the body. Hi Ping Ping's health problems were further complicated by the fact that he smoked a lot. He died of heart complications. Arriving in Italy to film the show Lo show dei record, Hi Ping-Ping felt unwell, but the doctors could not help him.
height 71 cm
One of the shortest people on the planet is 21-year-old Hatice Kocaman from Turkey. Her height is 71 centimeters and her weight is 6.8 kilograms. At birth, doctors diagnosed her with dwarfism (dwarfism). Hatiche was born weighing 1.64 kilograms. The girl's closest relatives are of average height. Doctors do not know what caused Hatiche's disease, which caused her to stop growing at age 4. As for mental abilities, they correspond to her biological age. Like most of the world's smallest people, she suffers from many diseases. She was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. In addition, the girl suffers from severe back pain. Local doctors can’t help her, because they don’t have enough experience to operate on a tiny patient.
Khatiche graduated from a specialized school, but did not find a job in her specialty. She continues to live with her parents.
height 70 cm
The Colombian native held the title of shortest man in the world for three years. His height is 70 cm and his weight is 10 kilograms. He lives in Bogota and is very popular in Colombia. Edward dances Latin American dances and acts in films. He is proud of his uniqueness and feels quite happy. It is noteworthy that Edward’s younger brother “outgrew” him by only 23 centimeters.
height 69 cm
(Bridgette Jordan) is one of the smallest women in the world. Her height is 69 cm. And her brother Brad's height is 96 cm. Together they are known as the shortest relatives in the world. The reason for their short stature is the incurable disease pituitary dwarfism, or dwarfism. Bridget's tiny size hasn't stopped her - she leads an active lifestyle and goes to college with her brother. The girl loves dancing and music and is on the support team of the local basketball club.
height 67 cm
With a height of 67 cm and a weight of 5.5 kg, the Nepalese is one of the shortest people in the world. At birth, he weighed only 600 grams and easily fit in one palm. Doctors could not determine the reason for such a short stature. At the same time, Khagendra’s parents and brother are of normal height. One of the smallest people on the planet is not too worried about his unusual appearance and is optimistic about the future. He is becoming more and more popular: now the young man plays the role of goodwill ambassador for the Nepalese government. In addition, Khagendra Thapa Magar is part of a dance group and occasionally tours with it. In his free time, he helps his father, the owner of a fruit shop. Unfortunately, an unknown disease has negatively affected the mental abilities of the smallest person in the world, says adult Khagendra Thapa Magar like a child.
height 66 cm
The American is known not only as one of the shortest women in the world, but also for becoming the mother of three children. Her height stopped at 66 cm due to osteogenesis imperfecta. Despite her tiny size and illness, she married a man of average height, Will Herald. The couple dreamed of a big family, although doctors urged Stacy to give up her desire to have children, since pregnancy and childbirth could cause her irreparable harm. Stacey didn’t listen to anyone and now she and Will are raising two girls and a boy. Unfortunately, the eldest of the daughters inherited her mother's disease.
height 65 cm
A native of Africa, she is 65 cm tall. She, like Hi Ping Ping, suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta. Due to illness, one of the smallest women in the world is forced to move in a wheelchair. Madge's mother, whose height was 70 cm, also suffered from the same disease.
height 62.8 cm
Originally from India, she is the shortest female representative. Her height is 62.8 cm. The reason for the girl’s short stature is achondroplasia, an incurable disease that disrupts the growth of bone tissue. Once in the Guinness Book of Records, she got the opportunity to travel and visited Japan and Italy. Today, Jyoti Amji actively acts in films and participates in television shows. She gained fame as an actress after participating in the 4th season of the popular TV series American Horror Story, in which she played a member of a traveling circus. The girl plans to continue her career in Bollywood, where her exotic appearance will be in demand and she will receive a higher education.
height 55.8 cm
The second shortest person on Earth is a native of the Philippines. His height is 55.8 cm. He was born into a poor large family. At two years old, his parents noticed that he had stopped growing. Doctors for a long time thought that this was a consequence of the child’s frequent illnesses, until they came to the conclusion that Junri Balwing would no longer grow. Now the little record holder is fully cared for by his parents - he himself can only move with the help of support.
height 54.6 cm
A Nepalese man has been recognized as the shortest man on Earth. His height was 54.6 cm and his weight was 12 kg. He became an absolute record holder, since such a small growth was recorded for the first time. The Nepalese was 73 years old when they learned about its existence quite by accident. Chandra comes from a remote village and has never sought medical help in his entire life. Despite his height, he was a cheerful and active person and dreamed of traveling. Chandra Bahadur Dangi was a weaver by profession. Having gained fame as the shortest man in the world, he was able to visit other countries, as he dreamed of. In September 2015, a Nepalese man was hospitalized on one of the Samoan islands with a diagnosis of pneumonia. He died in the hospital.
“Small, but brave,” says popular wisdom. There are many short people living on Earth. Among thousands of short people there are record holders who are often confused with children. Find out who the smallest man in history is and what he did.
1. Chandra Bahadur Dangi - 54.6 cm. Dangy was born in 1939. The reason why it stopped growing is still unknown. Three of his five brothers also have growth problems. Chandra gained popularity and received the title of the smallest man in 2012. The elderly dwarf was noticed by woodcutters working near Chandra's village. Danga never left his native village, and after the record, he dreamed of traveling the world and making his native land famous. He was often interviewed, and soon after the official measurement he met with the shortest woman - Jyoti Amji, in 2014 in London - with the tallest man Sultan Kesen. In August 2015, Danga was diagnosed with pneumonia. Doctors could not help, and on September 4, Danga passed away. Chandra should have received the title of the smallest man much earlier: he stopped growing at the age of 18, and was officially measured only at 72 years old.
2. Gul Mohammed - 57 cm. Considered the shortest man in history for 22 years. Gul was born in 1957 in a suburb of New Delhi. The dwarf experienced enormous peer pressure at school - he even had to drop out of school due to ridicule. Gul made his living by street trading, which he did not give up until his death. Despite the popularity he gained after being officially measured in 1990, Gul lived in poverty among the suburban slums. Because of his height, he was afraid of children, dogs, and even cats and crows. He was often invited to television shows and interviewed. Gul struggled with bronchitis for a long time, and in 1997 the disease took over, as the dwarf was a heavy smoker.
3. Paulina Musters - 58 cm. Paulina Musters is the woman with the shortest height in history. She was born in 1876 in the Netherlands and lived only 19 years. It is still unknown why the girl’s growth stopped. Having trained in dance and acrobatics, Paulina performed in public from an early age. She gained wide fame in Europe under the pseudonym Princess Pauline and even performed before the Kaiser of Germany. Having moved to the USA by invitation, Paulina fell ill with pneumonia and died suddenly.
4. Junry Balwing - 59.9 cm. The smallest living person on Earth. Junri lives in the Philippines. He stopped growing at the age of one year for unknown reasons. Junri has three siblings who are of normal height. The smallest dwarf does not work, because even walking is difficult for him, not to mention physical labor. The growth has affected Junri's overall development: he has a poor vocabulary and does not engage in informative conversations. Junri's parents are looking for sponsors to study their son's wondrous pathology.
5. Jyoti Amji - 62.8 cm. The shortest living woman. She was born in India in 1993. Doctors attribute Jyoti's short stature to the disease achondroplasia. Jyoti leads an active lifestyle - she is a professional actress. Amji is famous both in India and in the USA. In 2014, she starred in the fourth episode of the television show American Horror Story.
This list includes only officially confirmed record holders. Perhaps the smallest person in history will remain unknown. It is customary to feel sorry for people of such small stature: many express sympathy, stroke them, take them in their arms and give them money. Dwarfs are pitiful because many familiar things are inaccessible to them - some of them even have difficulty moving.
However, this impression is deceptive, because thanks to their record-breaking small stature, they lead a vibrant life. These little people are strong, extraordinary personalities, ready for any difficulties. We all have something to learn from them!
More recently, we talked about the tallest man on the planet. We will leave a link to that video at the end of the issue, and in this one we will talk about the shortest people on Earth.
In third place in our ranking is Junri B A Luing, whose height is 60 centimeters. He was born in 1993 in the Philippines into an ordinary family, where no one had any health or growth problems. Already at the age of 2 years, parents began to notice the child’s uncharacteristically small stature and frailty, which as a result turned out to be a consequence of a congenital disease. At the age of 18, Junri received the title of the smallest person on the planet according to the Guinness Book of Records, but very soon his record was broken.
Second place went to Gul Mokh A mmeda, men originally from India. He was born in 1957 and lived a fairly long life for people with such severe growth problems, dying in 1997 at the age of 40. His height at the time of death was 57 centimeters. The relative poverty of his family, addiction to smoking and, as a result, constant respiratory diseases, ultimately destroyed this record holder. For many years he managed to hold the Guinness World Record until our next participant beat him.
First place for a man named Ch A Ndra Bach A dur dang And. His height is 54 centimeters and 6 millimeters. The citizen of Nepal is not only the shortest person who has ever lived on Earth, but one of the longest-livers among the owners of this disease, because at the time of his death he was 75 years old. He was born into a large family, where some of the children were also short, but only he became the record holder. According to scientists, grow H A Ndra stopped around the age of 18, but since he did not experience any special health problems and no desire to become famous, he managed to get into the field of view of the Guinness Book of Records only at the age of 72 years. Alas, in 2015 this man fell ill with pneumonia and died suddenly in his homeland.
And finally, I would like to talk about the shortest woman on the planet. Her name is J O ty Amj And, and her height is 62 centimeters and 8 millimeters. She was born in India and only at the age of 18 became known to the general public thanks to the Guinness Book of Records. At the moment, she is 23 years old and she is quite successfully acting in some films and even managed to play a prominent role in the fourth season of American Horror Story. Like all the participants in this issue, from birth she suffered from achondroplasia - a hereditary disease known to science for a long time, but not treatable.
