02.05.2020

Fedor Makhnov is the tallest man. The tallest man in the Russian Empire is Fyodor Makhnov. Moving to Europe, circus life

According to the Russian Book of Records, the tallest man in world history was Russian citizen Fedor Makhov! His height was 2 meters 85 centimeters (with a weight of 182 kilograms).

A correspondent for 7 Days magazine reports that he personally saw the grave of our hero - at railway station Staroe Selo, near Vitebsk. Today the giant is called in newspapers either Makhnov or Makhno. However, the text on the obelisk, touched by time, read:

"Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov. Born June 6, 1878. Died August 28, 1912. The most A tall man in the world. He was 3 arshins 9 inches tall."

He died at the age of 35. The height indicated on the grave, corresponding to 254 centimeters by modern standards, was in his youth, but, according to numerous testimonies, he grew significantly after that. Fyodor Makhnov was born into a peasant family on a farm near the village of Kostyuki. And today local residents can point out the place where he was born, nicknamed the Giant Farm.
The amazing child’s talents showed up early. At the age of 8, the child could lift an adult; his father taught him to play the harmonica. At the age of 12, he took the “bar” at 2 meters. He could sleep for more than 24 hours straight. A shoemaker from the nearby village of Yazvino, Vasily Orlov, left evidence of the length of the giant’s foot: 51 centimeters. The palm was 31 cm. Fyodor Makhnov bent horseshoes, and once raised the roof of a hut alone. His brothers Stepan and Nikolai were slightly taller than average. He developed his strength talents in the circus, where he twisted spirals of iron rods and then straightened them, smashed a brick with a blow of his fist, and while lying down raised a wooden platform on which an orchestra played. He was also involved in wrestling. The Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore contains materials telling how Fyodor Makhnov got into the circus, and about his tours across Europe and the USA. He signed a contract with entrepreneur Robert Cook (and according to another version, the local landowner Bronislav Korzhenevsky made an offer to conquer Europe for Fyodor) and set off around the world. The magazine "Nature and People" for 1903 published the following note about him:

"The tallest man in the world"

They are now unanimously recognized as the Russian giant Theodore Makhov. Currently, he has arrived with his impresario in Berlin, where he is shown in the panopticon. In the Berlin Anthropological Museum, Makhov was carefully measured and weighed, and he was given a document with the following content: “Theodore Makhov, born in Russia, in the town of Kustyaki, Vitebsk province, has a height of 238 centimeters [typo - V.V.] and belongs to number of the tallest giants that have ever existed on globe. In many ways he represents high interest for science." And indeed, all the giants shown so far in Europe were in most cases 12-15 centimeters shorter than Machov.
Feodor Makhov comes from ancient family, whose ancestors moved to Russia from the south, from Syria. Makhov's parents, as well as his two sisters, are of quite normal height; his grandfather was very tall, but, in any case, not a giant. Feodor Makhov is currently only 22 years old. To give at least some idea of the size of his body, let's say that his boot, which barely reaches the giant's knee, reaches his chest normal person, and a 12-year-old boy could fit headlong into it. The impresario pays Makhov 5,000 rubles annually and also maintains it at his own expense. Only with such a huge amount of money was it possible for the impresario to persuade the giant to appear in panopticons, since Makhov, an intelligent man and not in need, for a long time refused such an honor."

When the giant came on tour to St. Petersburg, reporters from the capital found out how he eats. In the morning he drank about two bottles of milk or tea, while eating one and a half dozen hard-boiled eggs and 6-8 pieces of bread. At noon he was served a kilogram of fried meat, more than a kilogram of potatoes, a kilogram of bread and a bottle of beer. For lunch I made do with a few bowls of meat soup and two bottles of beer. For dinner, Fedya ate from 10 to 15 eggs and several slices of bread.

However, the entrepreneur, profiting from him, fed him poorly, and the hardships of nomadic life annoyed him. The peasant son did not like all this, and he returned to his home station Staroye Selo. With the money he earned, he built a farm. The people called the new place of residence the Velikanov Farm. Fyodor's house has not survived to this day - it was destroyed during the war. But the villagers still call this place the Giant. Here he and his wife, teacher Efrosinya Lebedeva, who was 70 centimeters shorter than him, gave birth to five children. Everyone was tall, but no one was taller than 2 meters.

Having caught a cold while cleaning the bed of the local Zaronovka River, Fyodor Makhnov suffered from leg disease. He is believed to have died from lung disease. But they rumored that he was poisoned by his rivals on the wrestling mat. An obituary appeared in the magazine "Russian Sport" announcing this unfortunate event. One of Makhnov’s sons, Radimir, or, as he was also called, Rodion, studied at the Minsk Medical Institute. Once at a lecture I heard a mention of his phenomenal father. I named myself. The scientists became interested and, through Radimir, conveyed an offer to the widow to sell the unique skeleton. 5 thousand rubles were offered for it, and in those years it was a substantial amount. A loaf of bread, for example, then cost 14-20 kopecks. 27 years after the burial of the bone from under the monument "The Most big man in the world" was removed, put in a box and taken away by scientists. The coffin and monument were returned to their original place.
The grandson of the giant, Evgeniy Nikolaevich, still preserves the memory of his ancestor: postcards, photographs, newspaper clippings... It is from the words of the grandson that there is a version that Fedor, having moved to the farm, did not give up performing in the circus. He often traveled to Germany with his family.

Makhnov devoted nine years to working in the circus, after which he became a quite wealthy man. However a big increase brought a lot of trouble to Fedor. It was difficult for him to travel, since all the transport, hotels, establishments Catering were calculated only for people of standard sizes. Because of this, Fedor returned home to his native Kostyuki at the very beginning of the twentieth century. For the money he earned in circus performances, he bought his land and house from the landowner Korzhenevsky, who had left for France. Makhnov rebuilt the estate to suit his height, furnished it with suitable furniture and renamed it Velikanovo. All necessary Construction Materials and furniture was sent to him from Germany by Otto Bidinder, with whom Fyodor maintained close friendly contacts until the end of his life.

Fyodor with his wife Efrosinya

Having settled in a new place, Makhnov decided to get married. And although he was very kind by nature, and not deprived of finances, they found a bride for him with great difficulty. She became Efrosinya Lebedeva, who worked as a rural teacher. She was a tall girl, but still inferior to her fiancé by almost a meter. In 1903, the first daughter Maria appeared in the family, and the next year their son Nikolai was born.

To top up family budget, from time to time Fedor went to various wrestling tournaments, performed in circuses, demonstrating his capabilities in various cities Russian Empire.

Fyodor Makhnov prepares himself lunch

The giant had four meals a day, but the portions were truly impressive. For example, breakfast consisted of 8 round loaves of bread with butter, 20 eggs and 2 liters of tea. Lunch included 1 kg of potatoes, 2.5 kg of meat and 3 liters of beer. Dinner consisted of 2.5 kg of meat, 3 loaves of bread, 2 liters of tea and a bowl of fruit. And before going to bed, he was given another 1 loaf of bread, 15 eggs and 1 liter of tea or milk.

In 1905, the Makhnov family went on a tour abroad. Traveling around Western Europe, they visited France, Great Britain, Belgium, Holland, Italy. They were granted an audience by the Pope himself. According to family legend, he took off his gold cross and gave it to the giant's daughter. The Makhnov couple also visited the USA. To do this, however, it was necessary to remodel the ship's cabin.

During these trips there were some oddities. At receptions in palaces, Fyodor lit cigarettes from candles with upper tiers chandeliers, which extinguished them.

In Paris, he had a clash with several townspeople. The arriving police wanted to put the giant behind bars, but not finding a suitable cell, they limited themselves to just a conversation.

During lunch at the German Chancellor's, a huge tea set was placed in front of Makhnov, but Fyodor did not appreciate such a “joke”, demanding that it be replaced with an ordinary mug.

Fedor Andreevich Makhnov. At one time he was known all over the world, but now he is almost forgotten. This year he would have turned 138 years old. Weighing 182 kilograms, his height was... 285 centimeters!

Fedor Andreevich Makhnov, a native of the small village of Kostyuki near Vitebsk, was born on June 6, 1878.

The boy was the first-born in an ordinary peasant family. His parents were tall people, but they were not considered giants. Due to the fact that the newborn was too large, his mother could not endure the difficult birth and died. The little orphan was taken to be raised by his grandparents

At first, Fedor practically did not stand out among his peers, but by the age of eight he began to grow very quickly. Despite the fact that he slept a lot during this period (almost for days on end), Fedya grew up to be a very strong boy.

At the age of 10, the father took the grown boy to live with him. Helping his father with housework, Fedya became stronger and more tempered. Large beyond his age, he could easily pull a peasant cart loaded with hay up a mountain or lift an adult man on a dare. Neighbors often used his abilities to build houses, where he helped lift logs.

The local landowner Korzhenevsky, having learned about the abilities of the young strongman, hired him to clear the nearby Zaronovka River from boulders that were interfering with the work of the water mill. Long work in very cold water played a very unfavorable role in Fedor’s life. He caught a cold, and the illnesses that followed subsequently made themselves felt for the rest of Makhnov’s life.

By the age of 14, the 2-meter young man could no longer fit into the house. Because of this, my father had to build up the walls by several crowns. A local blacksmith was ordered to make a custom bed, but he, overloaded with work, spent the whole summer making it. In the end it turned out that Fedya had outgrown this bed.

Tales are still told about the growth of the guy in Kostyuki. They say that children hid in his felt boots, and he pacified his few offenders by stuffing their hats under the logs of the bathhouses or laying them on the ridges of the roofs.

Dressing and putting shoes on a tall guy was problematic. Everything was made to special order. They had to earn money for clothes in Vitebsk at the Polotsk Bazaar. It was there that the unusual teenager was noticed by the German Otto Bilinder, who owned a traveling circus. Being a business man, he quickly realized the prospects of this man in his troupe, and persuaded his father to let Fyodor go with the circus. Bilinder undertook to take on all the maintenance of the guy, and in addition promised that Fedor, with his data, would be able to earn good money and help his family.

It didn’t take long to persuade his father and the 14-year-old boy set off to conquer Europe with his abilities. Otto Bilinder took custody of Fedor. First, for the illiterate guy, he hired teachers to teach him German language. Otto took over teaching circus art. Fedor’s training lasted almost two years. When he turned 16, a contract was signed with him to perform. This is how Fyodor Makhnov became a circus performer.

His performances focused on power moves. The more than two and a half meter tall giant bent iron horseshoes with one hand, broke bricks with a blow of his hand, twisted metal rods into a spiral, and then straightened them again. Particularly successful were the performances when he, lying on his back, raised a wooden platform with an orchestra of three musicians. In those days, Greco-Roman (classical) wrestling tournaments were very popular in circuses. Famous strongmen and world-class wrestlers took part in them, including Russian titans Zaikin and Poddubny. Fedor Makhnov also participated in similar tournaments. True, he did not become a great athlete due to the fact that the best world wrestlers always came up against him, and a chronic back disease did not allow him to fully demonstrate his talents. However, his mere appearance in the arena caused wild delight from the public.

Makhnov devoted nine years to working in the circus, after which he became a quite wealthy man. However, great growth also brought a lot of trouble to Fedor. It was difficult for him to travel, since all transport, hotels, and catering establishments were designed only for people of standard sizes. Because of this, Fedor returned home to his native Kostyuki at the very beginning of the twentieth century. For the money he earned in circus performances, he bought his land and house from the landowner Korzhenevsky, who had left for France. Makhnov rebuilt the estate to suit his height, furnished it with suitable furniture and renamed it Velikanovo. All the necessary building materials and furniture were sent to him from Germany by Otto Bidinder, with whom Fedor maintained close friendly contacts until the end of his life. Having settled in a new place, Makhnov decided to get married. And although he was very kind by nature, and not deprived of finances, they found a bride for him with great difficulty. She became Efrosinya Lebedeva, who worked as a rural teacher. She was a tall girl, but still inferior to her fiancé by almost a meter. In 1903, the first daughter Maria appeared in the family, and the next year their son Nikolai was born.

To replenish the family budget, from time to time Fedor went to various wrestling tournaments, performed in circuses, demonstrating his capabilities in various cities of the Russian Empire.

Such trips, along with some anthropological details of Gulliver of Vitebsk, were regularly covered by the press of that time. It was written, in particular, that Fedor weighs 182 kg, has 15-centimeter ears and 10-centimeter lips. The length of his palm was 32 cm, his feet – 51 cm. Makhnov’s height decreased slightly on weekdays and increased over the weekend. The giant had four meals a day, but the portions were truly impressive. For example, breakfast consisted of 8 round loaves of bread with butter, 20 eggs and 2 liters of tea. Lunch included 1 kg of potatoes, 2.5 kg of meat and 3 liters of beer. Dinner consisted of 2.5 kg of meat, 3 loaves of bread, 2 liters of tea and a bowl of fruit. And before going to bed, he was given another 1 loaf of bread, 15 eggs and 1 liter of tea or milk.

In 1905, the Makhnov family went on a tour abroad. Traveling throughout Western Europe, they visited France, Great Britain, Belgium, Holland, and Italy. They were granted an audience by the Pope himself. According to family legend, he took off his gold cross and gave it to the giant's daughter. The Makhnov couple also visited the USA. To do this, however, it was necessary to remodel the ship's cabin.

During these trips there were some oddities. At receptions in palaces, Fyodor lit cigarettes from candles from the upper tiers of chandeliers, thereby extinguishing them.

In Paris, he had a clash with several townspeople. The arriving police wanted to put the giant behind bars, but not finding a suitable cell, they limited themselves to just a conversation.

During lunch at the German Chancellor's, a huge tea set was placed in front of Makhnov, but Fyodor did not appreciate such a “joke”, demanding that it be replaced with an ordinary mug. But although the techniques are at their best high levels and were welcoming, it was difficult to travel around the world. First of all, the inappropriate size of transport, housing and restaurants had an impact. In addition, Makhnov began to besieged by various scientists who offered to conclude a contract for him to transfer his skeleton to them for study after death. Suspecting that they might kill him for this, Fyodor interrupted his foreign tour and returned to his home at Velikanov Khutor.

A long nomadic life undermined the already not very good health Makhnova. Chronic joint disease, acquired in childhood in the cold water of Zaronovka, has worsened. It became increasingly difficult to walk. Otto Bilinder tried to help Fedor by sending a heavyweight horse from Germany. Unfortunately, the animal sent did not solve the problem, since with its nearly three-meter height, the giant’s legs still dragged along the ground when he sat astride it. And although Fedor became very attached to the horse, on trips he preferred to take a troika as his main means of transportation.

Traveling abroad brought a lot of new things into Fyodor Makhnov’s economic life. He was perhaps the first in the area to use agricultural machinery, which he purchased in Germany and kindly sent by Bilinder. For some time he even bred horses. Unfortunately, Fyodor Makhnov did not live long. In 1912, chronic illnesses finally undermined the giant’s health, and he died at the age of 34, having, however, before that managed to rejoice at the birth of three more of his children: daughter Masha (1911) and twin sons Rodion (Radimir) and Gabriel (Galyun) , born just six months before his death. The exact reason for the early departure of Makhnov’s life was never determined. Some documents say that he died from tuberculosis, others - from chronic pneumonia. The Vitebsk giant was buried in a local cemetery near the village of Kostyuki. The Russian Sport magazine published an obituary announcing his death.

The growth of Fyodor Makhnov, even after his death, continued to surprise everyone. The undertaker, thinking that there was an error in the order for the coffin and fence, did the job counting on ordinary person. When it turned out that he was mistaken, the coffin had to be urgently remade, but there was no time left to redo the fence, and it had to be abandoned.

On the surviving tombstone you can still read the inscription: “Fedor Andreevich Makhnov born - June 6, 1878 died. August 28, 1912 at the age of 36 The Biggest Man in the World was 3 arshins 9 vershoks in height.”

The story about Fyodor Makhnov can be supplemented by the fact that his height on the tombstone is indicated incorrectly. It was taken from the contract with Bilinder, signed by the giant at the age of 16. From that moment on, Fedor grew another 30 cm. The giant’s wife subsequently wanted to correct the mistakes on the tombstone and redo the fence, but the outbreak of the First World War and the subsequent revolutionary events prevented her from doing this.

In 1934, Makhnov’s remains were exhumed for scientific purposes and sent to the Minsk Medical Institute for study. During the war, the giant's skeleton was lost, like much else. Only the photograph and description made by Professor D.M. have survived. Dove.

Instead of a conclusion

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the tallest man in history whose height is known beyond doubt is Robert Wadlow, who lived in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. His height reached 272 centimeters.

Hello friends. Friday evening, time to relax and chat with friends. I'm at home, finishing up work on a new article for my beloved readers. No, this time it’s not about all sorts of things, etc., which I love to tell you so much :)

Today I want to tell you the life story of my fellow countryman, Fedor Andreevich Makhnov. At one time he was known all over the world, but now he is almost forgotten. This year he would have turned 135 years old. Weighing 182 kilograms, his height was... 285 centimeters!

Fedor Andreevich Makhnov, a native of the small village of Kostyuki near Vitebsk, was born on June 6, 1878.

The local landowner Korzhenevsky, having learned about the abilities of the young strongman, hired him to clear the nearby Zaronovka River from boulders that were interfering with the work of the water mill. Long-term work in very cold water played a very unfavorable role in Fedor’s life. He caught a cold, and the illnesses that followed subsequently made themselves felt for the rest of Makhnov’s life.

It didn’t take long to persuade his father and the 14-year-old boy set off to conquer Europe with his abilities. Otto Bilinder took custody of Fedor. First, for the illiterate guy, he hired teachers to teach him German. Otto took over teaching circus art. Fedor’s training lasted almost two years. When he turned 16, a contract was signed with him to perform. This is how Fyodor Makhnov became a circus performer.

To replenish the family budget, from time to time Fedor went to various wrestling tournaments, performed in circuses, demonstrating his capabilities in various cities of the Russian Empire.

During these trips there were some oddities. At receptions in palaces, Fyodor lit cigarettes from candles from the upper tiers of chandeliers, thereby extinguishing them.

In Paris, he had a clash with several townspeople. The arriving police wanted to put the giant behind bars, but not finding a suitable cell, they limited themselves to just a conversation.

During lunch at the German Chancellor's, a huge tea set was placed in front of Makhnov, but Fyodor did not appreciate such a “joke”, demanding that it be replaced with an ordinary mug.

But although receptions at the highest levels were cordial, traveling around the world was difficult. First of all, the inappropriate size of transport, housing and restaurants had an impact. In addition, Makhnov began to besieged by various scientists who offered to conclude a contract for him to transfer his skeleton to them for study after death. Suspecting that they might kill him for this, Fyodor interrupted his foreign tour and returned to his home at Velikanov Khutor.

A long nomadic life undermined Makhnov’s already not very good health. Chronic joint disease, acquired in childhood in the cold water of Zaronovka, has worsened. It became increasingly difficult to walk. Otto Bilinder tried to help Fedor by sending a heavyweight horse from Germany. Unfortunately, the animal sent did not solve the problem, since with its nearly three-meter height, the giant’s legs still dragged along the ground when he sat astride it. And although Fedor became very attached to the horse, on trips he preferred to take a troika as his main means of transportation.

Unfortunately, Fyodor Makhnov did not live long. In 1912, chronic illnesses finally undermined the giant’s health, and he died at the age of 34, having, however, before that managed to rejoice at the birth of three more of his children: daughter Masha (1911) and twin sons Rodion (Radimir) and Gabriel (Galyun) , born just six months before his death. The exact reason for the early departure of Makhnov’s life was never determined. Some documents say that he died from tuberculosis, others - from chronic pneumonia. The Vitebsk giant was buried in a local cemetery near the village of Kostyuki. The Russian Sport magazine published an obituary announcing his death.

The growth of Fyodor Makhnov, even after his death, continued to surprise everyone. The undertaker, thinking that there was a mistake in the order for the coffin and fence, did the work for an ordinary person. When it turned out that he was mistaken, the coffin had to be urgently remade, but there was no time left to redo the fence, and it had to be abandoned.

The giant's wife subsequently wanted to correct the mistakes on the tombstone and redo the fence, but the outbreak of the First World War and the subsequent revolutionary events prevented her from doing this.

Instead of a conclusion

But this confession is wrong! After all, Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov’s height is 285 centimeters. And he is the tallest man in the world in history. The growth was measured and officially recorded by the Warsaw anthropologist Luszan. In addition, the record growth of our compatriot was noted in the magazine “Science and Life” for 1970 and in the science fiction writer Alexander Belyaev in the novel “The Man Who Lost His Face” and its revised version “The Man Who Found His Face.”

Fedor Andreevich Makhnov. Photos:

Russian giant Fedor Makhnov

The tallest man the world has ever seen is considered to be Fyodor Makhnov. His height was 285 centimeters and his weight was about 182 kg.

Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov was born on June 6, 1878. The largest man in the world, his height was 3 arshins 9 vershoks. 3 arshins 9 vershoks were mistakenly written on the monument. This is less than the actual one by almost 30 centimeters. This height was indicated in the first contract of the growing boy of 16 years old, when he was first invited to work at the circus. Fedor's wife wanted to correct the mistake, but the outbreak of the First World War prevented her from World War. Makhnov's actual height was recorded by the Warsaw anthropologist Lushan in 1903 - 285 cm.
This was also confirmed by the French biologist J. Rostand in his book “Life” and the Russian science fiction writer Alexander Belyaev.

Fedya's parents were of ordinary height. The boy was born very large, and his mother died during childbirth. Fedya was raised by his grandfather, who loved him very much. By the age of 16, Fedor “jumped” two meters. During the period of his most active growth, he could sleep for more than 24 hours straight.

The guy was distinguished not only by his height, but also by his strength. He worked a lot in the field, helping the blacksmith. At the age of eight he could lift an adult with one hand, and sometimes harnessed himself instead of a horse. He was kind and friendly by nature. He played the harmonica well.

Once a German Otto Bilinder, the owner of a circus, saw a tall guy at the Polotsk market in Vitebsk. He persuaded his father to let Fedor go to Germany to work in the circus. Otto took care of the education of his strongman and paid him well.In Berlin, Otto Belender settled the guest at his home, hired teachers to improve his educational level (before that he had only completed 3 grades), and taught him circus tricks. Fyodor broke bricks with the edge of his palm; unbent and bent horseshoes and thick nails; lying on his back, he lifted the platform with three musicians along with their instruments. But people came to the circus to see, first of all, the artist himself - the real Gulliver. And he grew by leaps and bounds. By the age of 25 he reached 2 m 85 cm.

Archival information about the stay of the giant Makhnov in the German capital in 1904 has been preserved. The Germans were ready to fulfill any whims of the Belarusian Gulliver. In the middle of winter, Fyodor wanted strawberries - they delivered them to him. In Holland, in Paris, he repeatedly violated the contract, once they wanted to imprison him for hooliganism, but the cells of the Parisian police did not accommodate people of such stature.

While in Germany, Fedor always wanted to return home. When he saved up enough money, he left for his native Kostyuki, despite the fact that the owner persuaded him to stay. His height did not allow him to live in his father’s house. At this time, the landowner Krzhizhanovsky was just selling his estate. Makhnov bought it along with the land and rebuilt the house according to his specifications. And he decided to get married. It turned out, the most difficult question! Girls of ordinary height did not dare to marry such a thug. Where can I find something to match it? Finally, the whole world found a bride - teacher Efrosinya Lebedeva. She was tall for a girl - 1 m 85 cm. She was two years younger than Fyodor, but outlived her husband by 35 years and died in 1947. They played a wedding. In 1903, their daughter Maria was born, and in 1904, their son Nikolai. They lived together in love and harmony. Fedor was kind person, loved his children, helped the peasants. And from Germany there were invitations to return to the circus again...

Together they traveled the world. Fyodor attended a reception with the German Chancellor, an audience with the Pope, and a reception with US President Theodore Roosevelt. So that Makhnov could cross the ocean, the cabin of the ship was remodeled for him. Euphrosyne liked this life, she even wanted to stay in Germany.

But when German doctors began to persuade them to sign a contract, according to which, after death, the giant’s corpse would be left for them to scientific research, she was afraid that something might suddenly happen to Fedor, and they went home.
In Paris, almost all members of the Anthropological Society showed great interest in the extraordinary physical characteristics of the giant. They wanted to examine it more thoroughly, but Makhnov refused to undress in front of doctors all his life, allowing them to measure only the length of his feet and palms - 51 cm and almost 35, respectively.

The magazine "Nature and People" for 1903 published the following note about him:

"The tallest man in the world"
They are now unanimously recognized as the Russian giant Theodore Makhov. Currently, he has arrived with his impresario in Berlin, where he is shown in the panopticon. In the Berlin Anthropological Museum, Makhov was carefully measured and weighed, and he was given a document with the following content: “Theodore Makhov, born in Russia, in the town of Kustyaki, Vitebsk province, has a height of 238 centimeters [typo] and is one of the tallest giants, which have ever existed on the globe. In many respects it is of great interest to science."

And indeed, all the giants shown so far in Europe were in most cases 12-15 santa. below Makhov.
Feodor Makhov comes from an ancient family, whose ancestors moved to Russia from the south, from Syria. Makhov's parents, as well as his two sisters, are of quite normal height; his grandfather was very tall, but, in any case, not a giant. Feodor Makhov is currently only 22 years old. To give at least some idea of the size of his body, let's say that his boot, barely reaching the giant's knee, reaches the chest of a normal person, and a 12-year-old boy could fit headlong into it . The impresario pays Makhov 5,000 rubles annually and also maintains it at his own expense. Only with such a huge amount of money was it possible for the impresario to persuade the giant to appear in panopticons, since Makhov, an intelligent man and not in need, refused such an honor for a long time.”

They had five children. Fedor was a strong owner.
His figure was not proportional. The legs were especially long. According to the children's recollections, he often, lying on the bed, warmed his feet on the stove. German doctors believed that Makhnov died from bone tuberculosis, which many giants suffered from. In fact, he caught a cold and got pneumonia.

As anthropologists rightly noted, this resident of Belarus is “all legs.” If he had been born without legs, he would hardly have reached average height. His head, which was unusually small for such a huge body, gave him an unusually ridiculous appearance, which he tried to hide by wearing a richly decorated Cossack uniform.

His ears were 15 cm long and his lips 10 cm wide, which must have made a certain impression on his wife, a woman of normal size, when they kissed. After a few days of rest he always became taller. This was caused by the extraordinary ability of his spine to shrink and contract under heavy loads.

He ate, like everyone else, four times a day, but his breakfast could feed an average family for two days. It is known from press materials how our giant ate. In the morning he ate 20 eggs, 8 round loaves white bread with butter, drank 2 liters of tea. For lunch - 2.5 kg of meat, 1 kg of potatoes, 3 liters of beer. In the evening - a bowl of fruit, 2.5 kg of meat, 3 loaves of bread and 2 liters of tea. And before going to bed, he could still swallow 15 eggs and a liter of milk.

Most big giant, whom the earth has ever carried, died on August 28, 1912.

In 1935, son Rodion studied at the Minsk Medical Institute, and at one of the lectures on giantism, the professor gave the example of Fyodor Makhnov. Imagine everyone’s amazement when Rodion stood up and said that it was his father. That's when they asked him to talk to the family about selling his father's skeleton. The mother agreed to sell it for 5 thousand rubles. After her husband's death, she married a second time and gave birth to three more children. Money was needed... Many people were present at the exhumation, including the widow and children. In 1936, Minsk professor D.M. Golub published an article about the skeleton of Acromegalic in the collection of works of the Psychoneurological Institute of the Belarusian Academy of Sciences. Acromegaly is characterized by hyperplastic changes in the skeletal system, soft parts and most internal organs. Simply put, all giants suffer from gigantism. During the Great Patriotic War the skeleton is missing.

Today, the children of Fyodor and Efrosinya Makhnov are no longer alive. Everyone lived a difficult life, but decent life. During the years of collectivization, they wanted to dispossess the Makhnov family and deport it, but the peasants interceded and left them alone. Nikolai and Gavrila were officers and went through repression. Rehabilitated. Rodion became a doctor and during the Great Patriotic War he was shot by the Nazis for his connection with the partisans. The eldest Maria worked all her life as a livestock specialist, and the youngest Masha worked as an accountant. All the children were more like their mother's height - 180 - 190 cm. Makhnov's descendants were scattered throughout the cities and villages of Belarus and Russia. On the site of the former estate, only a birch tree remained, perhaps planted by Fyodor Makhnov himself. And the names of the Giants' Farm and the Giants' Forest are reminiscent of local residents about the tallest man in the world who once lived in these places.

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Fedor Makhnov is the tallest man. The tallest man in the Russian Empire is Fyodor Makhnov. Moving to Europe, circus life

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