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The world’s tallest man just celebrated a pretty major milestone—his 40th birthday! Sultan Kösen stopped by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! in Orlando to pose for a picture with a statue of the man who previously held the title
Born in 1982, Kösen was of average size up until he turned 10. After that, he grew at an incredible rate due to a condition called pituitary gigantism, which happens because of an overproduction of growth hormone. Kösen’s condition was caused by damage to his pituitary gland, which released an excess of the growth hormone.
Kösen, standing at 8 feet and 3 inches, made his way from his native Turkey to Florida for his birthday celebration. While visiting the Ripley’s museum, he got his picture taken with a towering statue of Robert Wadlow.
Wadlow was once the tallest man alive, and he still holds the title of the tallest man to have ever lived. In 1940, at the time of his last measurement, a 22 year-old Wadlow came in at 8 feet 11.1 inches. He died shortly after.
