# 1970s Guinness World Records book: tallest people reevaluated? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-guinness-world-records-book-tallest-people-reevaluated/504810 "2009-07-30T21:21:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-guinness-world-records-book-tallest-people-reevaluated/504810/1 "2009-07-30T21:21:09Z")
In one of the old editions of the “Guinness Book of World Records,” there was a list of some of the tallest claimed heights, and an estimate of how tall they really were. I think it was early 1970s, but I’m not sure. The only name in the list I can remember was circus giant Al Tomaini, who claimed a height of 8’4", but they estimated him as a foot shorter (still pretty tall). There were others in the list. Anyone??? ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-guinness-world-records-book-tallest-people-reevaluated/504810/2 "2009-07-30T21:54:45Z")
Robert Wadlow was the tallest when I started reading it. > **[Robert Wadlow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wadlow)** > > Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 – July 15, 1940), 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. > Wadlow's height was 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m) while his weight reached 439 lb (199 kg) at his death at age 22. His great size and his continued growth in adulthood were due to hypertrophy of his... ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-guinness-world-records-book-tallest-people-reevaluated/504810/3 "2009-07-30T22:10:52Z")
I read the 1980 Guinness and Wadlow’s the one. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-guinness-world-records-book-tallest-people-reevaluated/504810/4 "2009-07-30T23:16:32Z")
I think ESHT is asking about a chart that was included in the Tallest Person entry that had lots of _claimed_ heights and their _actual/estimated_ heights next to them. Wadlow has been listed as the tallest for a long time, probably since the book came out, but these were pretenders to the throne. The copy of the GBOWR here at work doesn’t have it but it’s not the full edition. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-guinness-world-records-book-tallest-people-reevaluated/504810/5 "2009-07-31T00:32:49Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > I think ESHT is asking about a chart that was included in the Tallest Person entry that had lots of _claimed_ heights and their _actual/estimated_ heights next to them. Yup.