Ever wondered about the limits of human achievement and physical attributes? We’re fascinated by the biggest, smallest, oldest, and fastest people. While records are always changing, some individuals currently hold truly mind-boggling titles. Get ready to meet 10 people who push the boundaries of what it means to be human!
10. Oldest Living Person
The title for the oldest verified human ever belongs to Jeanne Calment of France. She lived an incredible 122 years and 164 days, passing away in 1997. People who live past 110 are known as supercentenarians, a very exclusive group with fewer than 2,000 documented cases.
Currently, the world’s oldest living person is Kane Tanaka from Japan, who is 118 years old. Remarkably, Ms. Tanaka has already lived longer than Jiroemon Kimura, also from Japan, who holds the record for the longest-living man at 116 years and 54 days. A truly astonishing fact about Ms. Tanaka is that she was married for 71 years, and her husband passed away 28 years ago! Adding to her incredible life story, she beat colorectal cancer at the age of 103. Tanaka is the third oldest person ever recorded, and if she lives until late June 2025, she will become the new longevity record holder.
9. Fattest Person Recorded (and Inspiring Journeys)
The heaviest person ever recorded was Jon Brower Minnoch from Seattle, Washington, who weighed an astonishing 1,400 pounds. By age 12, he was nearly 300 pounds, and by 22, he weighed 500 pounds. His extreme obesity was partly due to generalized edema, a condition causing excess fluid accumulation. Sadly, Minnoch passed away in 1983 at age 41.
However, there are inspiring stories in this category. Khalid bin Mohsen Shaari of Saudi Arabia, the second heaviest person recorded, achieved the largest weight loss in history. Over four years, he shed nearly 1,200 pounds and now maintains a healthy weight of 150 pounds. Similarly, Juan Pedro Franco of Mexico, who once weighed 1,312 pounds, lost almost 900 pounds. Currently, the title of “world’s heaviest human” is officially vacant, though several individuals known to have exceeded 1,000 pounds are still alive.
8. Tallest Living Person
The tallest person ever irrefutably measured was Robert Wadlow from the USA, who reached an incredible height of 8 feet, 11.1 inches. Born in 1918, Wadlow’s growth was due to pituitary gland hyperplasia, leading to excessive human growth hormone. Tragically, he died at just 22 from an infection caused by a leg brace.
Today, the tallest living man is Sultan Kösen, a 38-year-old farmer from Turkey. Standing at 8 feet, 2.8 inches, he officially became the first person in over 20 years to surpass 8 feet tall in 2009. Kösen also holds records for the longest hands (11.22 inches) and second-longest feet (14 inches) of any living person. His exceptional height is due to a pituitary tumor, but thankfully, radiation treatment in 2010 successfully stopped his growth.
7. Shortest Living Person
The shortest person in recorded history was Chandra Bahadur Dangi from Nepal. Born in 1939, his peak height was an astonishing 1 foot, 9½ inches. His condition, primordial dwarfism, wasn’t officially recognized until 2012 due to the remoteness of his village. Dangi passed away in 2015 at age 75.
After Dangi, Junrey Balawing of the Philippines held the title until his passing. Currently, the shortest living man is Lin Yü-chih of Taiwan, measuring 2 feet, 2.6 inches. However, the shortest person alive is Jyoti Amge, a 27-year-old woman from India. At 2 feet, 0.7 inches tall, Amge is the third shortest woman in recorded history. She even appeared in “American Horror Story: Freak Show.”
6. Fastest Human on Earth
No surprises here: Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt holds the record for the fastest sprint ever. Actually, he holds two records: 9.58 seconds for the 100 meters and 19.19 seconds for the 200 meters. He reached a top speed of 27.8 miles per hour, faster than most dogs!
What’s truly impressive is Bolt’s sustained dominance. He set these records 12 years ago and retired in 2017, yet many still consider him the fastest. He’s the only sprinter to win 100-meter and 200-meter titles at three consecutive Olympics (starting in 2008). Current sprinters aren’t close to his times; for example, Lamont Jacobs of Italy won Olympic gold with 9.8 seconds. If Bolt returned to peak form, he might still dominate.
5. Smartest Person (Highest Estimated IQ)
Defining “smartest” is tricky, but IQ offers a quantifiable, though imperfect, measure. Experts estimate American William Sidis had an IQ between 250 and 300, significantly higher than Albert Einstein. Sidis was reading newspapers before age 2 and spoke multiple languages by age 6. He entered Harvard at 11.
However, Sidis found adult life less remarkable, retreating from the spotlight to become a reclusive writer. He died at 46. Currently, identifying the smartest person is complex. In the 1980s, Marilyn vos Savant registered an IQ of 228. Guinness then eliminated the “Highest IQ” category. Today, chess player Konstantinos Ntalachanis is top-ranked in the World Genius Directory, with scores as high as 230.
4. Hairiest Person
Larry Gomez from Mexico has a rare genetic disorder called Congenital Generalized Hypertrichosis, affecting fewer than 100 people worldwide. This condition results in hair covering an incredible 98 percent of his body, making him likely the wooliest of this tiny group. His nickname is, fittingly, “Wolf Man.”
Larry isn’t alone; his family holds the Guinness record for Hairiest Large Family. Nineteen family members across five generations share this condition. Larry and his brother Danny perform in the Mexican National Circus. Another individual with a similar condition, Supatra Susuphan from Thailand, was once deemed the world’s hairiest girl. In 2018, she got married, proving that even extreme conditions can have happy chapters.
3. Longest Time Awake
This entry isn’t about being socially aware, but rather physically awake – as in, not sleeping! While others might have unofficially stayed awake longer, the official record for consecutive wakefulness belongs to American Randy Gardner. As a 17-year-old, for a school science experiment, Gardner stayed awake for an amazing 264 hours, just over 11 days.
He and his classmate aimed to beat the previous record of 260 hours. As the experiment progressed, sleep researcher Dr. William Dement and U.S. Navy medic John Ross joined to monitor him. By day three, Gardner showed coordination issues and mood swings. After five days, he began to experience hallucinations. Remarkably, after finally ending the experiment, he attended a press conference before sleeping for 14 solid hours. Gardner is still alive today.
2. Longest Distance Swim
The newest record on our list belongs to Pablo Fernandez of Spain. From July 19-20, 2021, he broke the record for the longest distance swim, covering 250km (155.3 miles) in 26 hours and 36 minutes. Fernandez benefited from a very strong current, which helped him maintain an incredible pace, sometimes swimming 100 meters every 40 seconds for 24 hours.
Fernandez is no stranger to water endurance records. In 2019, he became the fastest to swim 5km with leg irons. In 2020, he tread water for 25 consecutive hours. On the women’s side, Australian Chloe McCardel holds the record for an unassisted open-water swim, covering 77.3 miles in the Atlantic Ocean in about 41 hours in 2014. Another impressive feat was Diana Nyad’s 110-mile, 53-hour swim from Cuba to Florida in 2013 at age 64, considered “assisted” only due to protective gear against jellyfish.
1. Highest Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) Recorded in a Survivor
This record is both shocking and a stark reminder of danger. After a car accident, an unnamed man in Poland was found to have a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 1.480%. To put this in perspective, the legal driving limit in the US, Canada, and UK is 0.08%. This means his BAC was nearly 20 to 30 times the legal limit, depending on the country.
This is the highest BAC ever recorded in known history. Doctors reported that the man miraculously survived the alcohol poisoning itself, but he later succumbed to injuries sustained in the car crash. Due to medical anonymity, the current titleholder is unknown, but other incredibly high BACs recorded include a 1.41% in a South African man in 2010 and a 1.33% in a 24-year-old American woman who was reportedly still “alert and capable.”
These human extremes showcase incredible resilience, unique genetic traits, and sometimes, sheer determination. From the oldest souls to the fastest feet, these records constantly remind us of the amazing and diverse capabilities of the human body and mind.
What do you think of these incredible human extremes? Which one amazed you the most? Leave your comment below!
