The Belarus Giant...!

Did you know that there were really giants not that long ago? Most of course were that way because of genetic defects, but others we still don't know what made them grow so big. Here from Listverse is the story of the Belarus Giant.

Fyodor Makhnov

Photo credit: viola.bz

Fyodor Makhnov (alternatively spelled “Fyodor Machnow” or “Fedor Machnov”) was born in Kasciuki (in today’s Belarus) in June 1878. He started growing rapidly at eight and measured 200 centimeters (6’7″) when he was 14. He wore custom-made clothes and shoes and slept on a custom-made bed. His boots reached the waist of normal-sized people, and children often hid inside his boots when playing hide-and-seek.

Makhnov joined the circus when he was 14 but started performing at 16. Although sources vary about his height, he would later reach approximately 250 centimeters (8’2″) as he grew into adulthood.

Scientists often met him to ask for contracts for ownership of his corpse, but he always refused over fears that he could be murdered. He later married Efrosinja Lebedeva, who was 100 centimeters (3’3″) shorter than him even though she was taller than most women. They had a girl and three boys.

Makhnov had a huge appetite. Every day, he consumed a hefty breakfast of 20 eggs, eight loaves of bread, and 2 liters (0.5 gal) of tea. For lunch, he consumed 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of potatoes, 2.5 kilograms (5.5 lb) of meat, and 3 liters (0.8 gal) of beer. For dinner, he managed a loaf of bread, 15 eggs, and 1 liter (0.3 gal) of milk. He died in 1912 at age 34.

There certainly wasn't anything wrong with his appetite, that's for sure. A body that big needs a lot of fuel, I reckon.

Coffee out on the patio, where the temps are supposed to reach about 83.