Väinö Myllyrinne
Encyclopedia
Väinö Myllyrinne, was an acromegalic
giant
who was at one time (1961–1963) the world's tallest person. He stood 222 cm (7 feet 3.4 inches) and weighed 197 kg (31 stone) at the age of 21, but experienced a second phase of growth in his late thirties, attaining a height of 251 cm (8 feet 3 inches).
Myllyrinne is considered the tallest soldier ever, having served in the Finnish Defence Forces
. He was also voted 12th greatest Finn in the TV show Suuret suomalaiset
, largely due to a tongue-in-cheek Internet campaign criticising the idea of the show. The advocates of the campaign thought that because one cannot pick just one person to be the Greatest Finn for their accomplishments, Väinö Myllyrinne would actually be the "biggest Finn" because of his height (in Finnish, the word suuri means both "big" and "great"). He had a 15.7 inch hand span, the greatest known.
Acromegaly
Acromegaly is a syndrome that results when the anterior pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone after epiphyseal plate closure at puberty...
giant
Gigantism
Gigantism, also known as giantism , is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average...
who was at one time (1961–1963) the world's tallest person. He stood 222 cm (7 feet 3.4 inches) and weighed 197 kg (31 stone) at the age of 21, but experienced a second phase of growth in his late thirties, attaining a height of 251 cm (8 feet 3 inches).
Myllyrinne is considered the tallest soldier ever, having served in the Finnish Defence Forces
Finnish Defence Forces
The Finnish Defence Forces are responsible for the defence of Finland. It is a cadre army of 15,000, of which 8,900 are professional soldiers , extended with conscripts and reservists such that the standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform...
. He was also voted 12th greatest Finn in the TV show Suuret suomalaiset
Suuret suomalaiset
Suuret suomalaiset was a 2004 television show broadcast in Finland by YLE , which determined the 100 greatest Finns of all time according to the opinions of its viewers. The viewers were able to vote during a programme which lasted from October to December 2004...
, largely due to a tongue-in-cheek Internet campaign criticising the idea of the show. The advocates of the campaign thought that because one cannot pick just one person to be the Greatest Finn for their accomplishments, Väinö Myllyrinne would actually be the "biggest Finn" because of his height (in Finnish, the word suuri means both "big" and "great"). He had a 15.7 inch hand span, the greatest known.