Donald A. Koehler, born on September 1, 1925, and died in 1981, is remembered as one of just 29 people in medical history to have reached or surpassed a height of 8 feet. The title “World’s Tallest Man” was Don Koehler’s from 1969 until his death in 1981. His acromegaly was the primary cause of his extraordinary height, which reached over 8 feet and 2.5 inches, or 2.5 meters, at its peak.
He held the title of tallest living person throughout the 1970s, according to Guinness.
About Don Koehler’s Life
Koehler’s parents, both natives of Denton, Montana, were of normal height, but they were still taller than average humans, coming in at 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) and 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m), respectively.
At the age of 10, Koehler began to develop at an extraordinary rate. The Guinness Book of Records has acknowledged his standing height of 8 feet 2 inches (2.49 m). At the end of his growth, he was either 8 ft 2.5 in. or 8 ft 2 in., depending on different sources. He also weighed around 300 pounds (136 kg).
Koehler also had a twin sister, and his sister, on the other hand, was just 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall. However, the Guinness Book of Records also didn’t let this slip away, and their height difference of 29 inches (74 cm) made them the “twins with the largest height disparity” in recorded history.
Don Koehler is the 15th tallest person in documented history.
The Perfect Job
Koehler spent a quarter of a century as a salesman for the forklift company Big Joe, calling it quits only three years prior to his passing. Surprisingly, he viewed his height as a secret weapon in the world of sales. His extraordinary height was like a magnetic force, drawing in prospective customers not for the products he pitched but for the sheer curiosity of meeting such a giant of a man. And once they encountered him, they could never forget the towering salesman and the product he was trying to sell. After all, Donald Koehler was probably the tallest human being they would ever see in their lives.
One of the Kindest Giants
Despite numerous offers from companies eager to capitalize on producing items tailored to his size, Don Kohler consistently declined them. His twin sister Donna Valdivia shared her perspective on this matter, affirming that Don’s refusal stemmed from his inherent kindness and unwillingness to exploit others.
Unlike other tallest people in history, like Robert Wadlow or John Rogan, Koehler adhered to regular-sized furniture, except for one distinctive feature in his living space: an extraordinary eight-foot bed. His rationale behind this choice was grounded in the age-old wisdom: ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans.’
He Could be a Basketball Player
In his youth, Koehler lived in the city of North Chicago with his family and went to a regular high school named Amundsen High School. Even though the famous basketball coach Abe Saperstein, coach of the Harlem Globetrotters team, offered him a position as a player, he turned it down in favor of selling lifting equipment. According to his own words, he avoided the possibility of performing in a “freak show” by pursuing this line of work.
If you take the Harlem Globetrotters as a real basketball team, which featured some NBA players like Wilt Chamberlain, Koehler could be the tallest basketball player instead of Suleiman Ali Nashnush if he were to accept the offer.
Challenges in His Later Life
Late in life, Don Koehler battled scoliosis, a condition that causes the spine to curve and the body to bend. Sadly, at the age of 55 and still towering at 7-foot-10 inches (2.39 m) in height, Don Koehler passed away from a heart attack in Chicago in 1981, on February 26. After his death, it was Zeng Jinlian, one of only two women in history over 8 feet, who held the title of being the tallest living person on Earth.
He was the former president of the Paramount Tall Club, and his height had been reduced due to a problem with his spine. Many other extremely tall people in history, like Don Koehler, experienced similar spine curvature problems, as did Trijntje Keever, a Dutch woman who lived in the 17th century; Radhouane Charbib, the tallest Tunisian; Patrick Cotter O’Brien, the giant Irishman; and John F. Carroll.
The Problem of Socks
One of the notable quirks of Koehler’s colossal stature was his need for shoes in size 22. Yet, intriguingly, his most vexing clothing challenge wasn’t the search for oversized footwear but the quest for socks that could accommodate his feet.
Ultimately, his quest led him to a hosiery company nestled in Pennsylvania, which undertook the task of crafting customized socks tailored specifically to Don Koehler’s colossal dimensions.
Why Was Don Koehler So Tall?
Don Koehler was extremely tall because of a condition called acromegalic gigantism. The origin of this condition lies in a tumor. His brain’s pituitary gland produced too much growth hormone as a result of the tumor, and this hormone caused his bones to reach extreme lengths.
Gigantism is when someone’s body grows way too much, and Don Kohler began to have it when he was just 10 years old. It’s surprising to see how the human body can sometimes behave differently because of medical issues. The pituitary gland, a pea-sized crucial organ is located at the base of the brain.
References
- Featured Image Source
- Who was listed in the Guinness… – UPI Archives
- A history of record-breaking giants 100 years after the tallest man ever was born | Guinness World Records
