Fedor Makhnov: what was the tallest man on Earth. Fedor Makhnov - the tallest man on the planet at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, (8 photos) Return to Kostyuki

His height was 272 cm. However, Belarusians do not agree with the opinion of this reputable publication. After all, they know for sure that the giant, worthy of the title of the tallest man in the world, lived in the Vitebsk province, and his name was Fedor Andreevich Makhnov. His height, according to some sources, was as much as 285 cm. At the beginning of the last century, this unique person was known all over the world, but today he is almost forgotten.

Childhood of a giant

Fate prepared Makhnov a short, but incredibly interesting life. Fedor Andreevich was born back in 1878 in the village of Kostyuki, located near Vitebsk. His parents were poor peasants whose ancestors moved to the Russian Empire from Syria. Makhnov became the first giant of his kind. His father, mother, brothers and sisters were above average height, and although his grandfather was considered a tall man, no one could call him a giant.

Already at birth, Fyodor Makhnov was distinguished by unusually large growth. His mother could not stand the difficult birth and died without seeing the baby. early years the boy spent with his grandfather, who is in his grandson. Fedya differed from his peers not only giant size but also heroic strength. At the age of 12, his height exceeded the mark of 2 meters. Young Makhnov easily lifted adults, independently dragged heavy carts and helped neighbors in the construction of houses, carrying logs with his bare hands. The children laughed at the giant, and in retaliation for this he took away their hats and hung them on the skates of the roofs.

Acquaintance with Otto Bilinder

When Fedya turned 14, his father had to raise the ceilings in the house, because the guy no longer fit in it. A bed for a young man was ordered according to individual measurements from a local blacksmith. Shoes and clothes for him had to be made to order. Since Fedor's family was poor, he had to earn money for his clothes and food at the market in Vitebsk. It was there that he was once noticed by the owner of the German traveling circus, Otto Bilinder. The foreigner was impressed by the gigantic growth of the boy, and he quickly realized that he could earn good money on this. Without thinking twice, he turned to Makhnov's father with a request to let his son go with him to Germany. Having received consent from him, he took the young man to his circus troupe. From that moment on, the 14-year-old ordinary giant Fedya left his father's house and went to conquer the sophisticated European public with his non-standard appearance.

Moving to Europe, circus life

After arriving in Germany, Makhnov settled in Bilinder's house. The employer hired German teachers for the boy and personally began to teach him all the intricacies of circus art. Under the guidance of Bilinder, Fedor learned to break bricks with one hand, bend horseshoes, twist thick metal rods into a spiral, and lift wooden platforms with people standing on them. At the age of 16, Makhnov signed a contract with his mentor and began performing in the circus arena along with other artists. By this age, his height had reached 253 cm, and Otto Bilinder presented him to the public as the largest man on the planet. Together with the troupe, Fedor traveled through many countries and became known throughout Europe as a giant-strongman. In those days, giant people were a curiosity, so many spectators went to the circus to Bilinder specifically to look at Makhnov.

Fedor performed in the arena for 9 years. Throughout this time, his height continued to increase and by the age of 25 had reached 285 cm. Appearance Belarusian giant was impressive. He weighed as much as 182 kg. The length of his feet was 51 cm, his palms - 31 cm, his ears - 15 cm. Fedor Andreevich Makhnov ate, like most people, 4 times a day, but the portions that he absorbed were truly gigantic. His usual breakfast consisted of 2 liters of tea, 8 loaves of bread and butter, and 20 eggs. For lunch, Makhnov easily ate 1 kg of potatoes and 2.5 kg of lamb or pork, washing it all down with three liters of beer. The giant's evening meal consisted of a huge piece of meat, 3 loaves of bread, a bowl of fruit and several liters of tea.

Return to Kostyuki

Over the years of his acting career, Makhnov managed to earn a lot of money and become a well-to-do person. At 25, he decided to leave the circus troupe and return home. Giant growth brought a lot of inconvenience to the young man during the tour. It did not fit in hotel rooms and restaurants, and transport was forced to choose only with an open top. Tired of endless journeys, Makhnov at the beginning of the 20th century said a warm goodbye to Bilinder and returned to his village of Kostyuki. For the money earned during performances, he acquired an estate from the local landowner Korzhenevsky. Fyodor Makhnov converted the house to fit his height, ordered suitable furniture for the rooms and lived for his own pleasure.

Marriage to the teacher Efrosinya

Soon after returning home, the giant thought about marriage. The girls were afraid of the huge guy and bypassed him. It was not easy for the strongman to find a bride, but, finally, luck smiled at him. His chosen one was the village teacher Efrosinya Lebedeva. The girl was under 2 meters tall, but she still looked next to Fedor, like a child.

During the years of marriage, Fedor and Efrosinya had 5 children (they all grew tall, but their height did not exceed two meters). The family lived in Makhnov's estate, which he gave the ironic name Velikanovo. In order to feed his wife and small children, Fedor had to remember his acting past. He did not refuse to perform in Russian circuses, he took part in wrestling tournaments.

Future life

In 1905, the giant Fyodor Makhnov went on a tour of foreign countries, taking his wife and children with him. He visited England, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Italy. The Belarusian giant was granted an audience with the Pope himself. Later, the Makhnov couple went on a steamer to the United States. For the sake of Fedor, the crew of the ship had to remake the cabin to fit his height. With his appearance, the circus performer everywhere made a splash. In many countries he was invited to receptions for dignitaries where he unashamedly lit cigarettes from the candles in the chandeliers. In France, Makhnov had a serious conflict with the local population. The police officers who arrived wanted to put the giant behind bars, but they could not find a suitable cell for him and were forced to let him go free.

Efrosinya liked living abroad so much that she considered staying there forever. However, an incident with German doctors forced her to change her plans. Doctors began to persuade Makhnov to sign a contract, according to which, after his death, they would be able to perform scientific experiments on his body. Efrosinya was horrified by what she heard and, fearing that some kind of misfortune might happen to her husband, persuaded him to return to his homeland.

First serious health problems

From frequent moving, Fyodor Makhnov began to complain about his well-being. The growth of 285 centimeters did not affect his health in the best way. After returning to Velikanovo, the man's chronic joint disease, which he had received in childhood, worsened. His legs hurt so much that it was difficult for him to walk. But, despite health problems, Makhnov tried to lead his usual life. He did not leave performances in the circus and even went to the wrestling ring.

Death of a giant

An ordinary giant from Kostyukov was kind person And caring husband. With Efrosinya, he lived in love and harmony, doted on his children, did not refuse to help any of his fellow countrymen. Unfortunately, fate took Fedor a short 34 years. He died in 1912, leaving his wife with five small children in her arms (the younger twin sons Rodion and Gabriel were only 6 months old at the time of his death). The sudden departure of the circus performer from life gave rise to a lot of rumors. According to one version, the cause of his death was pneumonia. German doctors believed that the giant died due to bone tuberculosis - an ailment that affects most people of gigantic stature. There is also a version that Fedor was poisoned by ill-wishers.

Even after death, the growth of the tallest man on the planet continued to amaze others. When the undertaker received an order for a coffin and a grave fence for Makhnov, he decided that the relatives of the deceased had confused something with the measurements. He made a domino and a fence of standard sizes. When it turned out that Fyodor’s relatives hadn’t mixed up anything, he had to hastily remake the coffin in order to be in time for the funeral. There was no time to make a new fence, so I had to be content with the one that was. Fedor was buried in a cemetery not far from Kostyuki. In 1934, the remains of the circus performer were exhumed and sent for research to the Minsk Medical Institute. During the war, they were irretrievably lost.

historical injustice

How did it happen that another person is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest man who ever lived on the planet? Researchers believe that everything on the grave at Makhnov is to blame. It says that the giant's height was 3 arshins and 9 inches, which is equivalent to 253 centimeters. However, the data indicated on the tombstone was taken from the contract that the 16-year-old Fedor signed with Otto Bilinder. After that, over the course of several years, Makhnov grew another 32 cm, but this fact was not taken into account. But this historical injustice does not prevent the inhabitants of the Vitebsk region from being proud of their countryman and calling him the tallest man in the world.

Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov who lived on turn of XIX-XX centuries, is called the tallest man in the world. His height was 285 centimeters! The dimensions of the giant were such that a 12-year-old child could fit in his boot. Each meal consisted of several kilograms of food, and Makhnov could sleep for as long as 24 hours. In Europe, the giant was a real curiosity and a favorite of the public.

Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov comes from the village of Kostyuki, Vitebsk district (former Russian Empire, now Belarus). In addition to him, two more sons grew up in the Makhnov family. Their growth was above average, but Fedor "outdid" everyone. The grandfather took his grandson to be raised, because Fedor's mother died in childbirth, the fetus turned out to be too large.

As they say, the boy grew by leaps and bounds. At the age of 12, his height was already 2 meters. Fedor also had the corresponding strength in his hands. He could lift an adult man on one arm, dragged huge logs, harnessed instead of horses and transported hay carts.

IN young age the boy was hired by a local landowner to clear the river of boulders. They interfered with the normal functioning of the mill. Work in cold water turned into diseases for Fedor, which more than once manifested themselves in the future.

When the young giant was 14 years old, he began to hit his head on the ceiling, he had to rebuild the hut. They were supposed to make an individual bed for Fedor, but the blacksmith delayed the execution of the order, and the boy managed to outgrow it.

One day, a giant teenager, who worked part-time at the Polotsk Bazaar in Vitebsk, was seen by Otto Bilinder, the owner of a traveling circus. It is worth considering that this was the end of the 19th century, at that time the performances of miracle people were enormously popular. The German persuaded Fyodor's relatives to let him go to Germany.

So the young giant came to Europe. At first, Fedor studied German and, in parallel with this, mastered the circus craft. He learned to effectively unbend horseshoes, break bricks with his palm.

At the age of 16, Fedor Makhnov signed a contract to work in a circus. The audience was delighted. People came to the performances not only to look at the tricks, but simply to see with their own eyes the giant, whose height was more than 2.5 meters. Fyodor Makhnov, lying down, easily lifted the platform with a small orchestra.

By the age of 25, Fedor Makhnov's height was already 285 cm. Naturally, with such dimensions, the giant also had proper nutrition. For breakfast, he ate an omelette of 20 eggs, 8 loaves of bread, and drank 2 liters of tea. Lunch consisted of 2.5 kg of meat, the same amount of potatoes, a bowl of vegetables. The giant could sleep for more than 24 hours.

Fedor Makhnov worked for 9 years in a circus, and then returned to his native village. With the money earned, the giant bought the land and his house from the local landowner, which he rebuilt for himself. It is worth noting that Otto Bidinder always continued to help him. The circus owner and artist remained friends.

Fyodor Makhnov married a local teacher, Efrosinya Lebedeva. Her height was more than 180 cm, but the wife still looked like a baby next to her husband. The family had five children.

When the supply of money came to an end, the giant again went to Europe, where he was met with invariable success. After the speeches, Fyodor Makhnov and his wife were invited to social events. Even there, Fedor managed to amuse the audience: he lit cigarettes directly from the chandeliers. Several times for hooliganism or non-compliance with the contract, the police tried to arrest him. But every time Makhnov was released, because there was simply no cell in which he would fit.

Fedor Makhnov died at the age of 34. According to one version, the consequences of a cold suffered in childhood affected. It is written on the tombstone that the giant's height was 3 arshins 9 inches, i.e. 254 cm. However, this information is not correct. The figure was taken from Makhnov's contract with Bidinder when the giant was only 16 years old. Then he grew another 31 cm. The wife wanted to correct the unfortunate oversight, but the outbreak of the First World War prevented her.

While Fyodor Makhnov entertained the public in Europe, on the other side of the ocean in the United States, people went to the performances of a married couple.

135 years ago, the biggest man on the planet Earth was born in an ordinary Belarusian village.

The 1905 calendar wrote: “In order to have an idea of ​​​​the extraordinary growth of this giant, it is enough to say that boots with tops that barely reach his knees reach the waist of an ordinary mortal, and a 12-year-old boy can fit in them completely freely with his head. A silver ruble passes through the ring that the giant wears on his index finger,” writes the Historical Truth website. (Total 10 photos)

This is about Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov - the very big man on planet Earth, who was born in the small village of Kostyuki, near Vitebsk. It happened on June 18, 1878.

Fedya was the firstborn in a young peasant family. The boy was born very large. During childbirth, his mother died. The orphan was taken in by his grandparents. At first, Fedya grew up as an ordinary child and did not stand out among his peers in anything special. But somewhere from the age of 8, Fedya began to grow rapidly and gain strength. During this period, the boy slept for days on end.

At the age of 10, his father took Fedor to help with the housework. By this time he had remarried. From the second marriage, two half-brothers and a sister grew up, who were of normal height. Peasant work hardened Fedor. On a dare, he could easily lift an adult or drag a peasant cart with hay uphill.

Local residents often called him to help lift logs during the construction of houses, and the landowner Korzhenevsky hired a young strong man to clear the Zaronovka River from boulders that interfered with the operation of the water mill. The river is notable for its icy spring water. Long-term waist-deep work in cold water made itself felt by various ailments throughout life.

Like a true hero, Fedor was cheerful and good-natured. He often enjoyed playing with local children and playing the harmonica during gatherings. Among the locals, stories are passed from mouth to mouth about how children hid in the giant's felt boots, and a cheerful big man took off his hats from the "offenders" and thrust them under the log cabins of baths and sheds or hung them on the roof ridge.

By the age of 14, the youth had grown up to 2 meters, and his father had to raise the roof of the house by several crowns. An individual bed was ordered from a local blacksmith. For the whole summer, the blacksmith forged a bed in snatches from the main affairs. Upon completion of the work, it turned out that Fyodor had already grown out of this bed over the summer. Clothes and shoes for a tall boy were also made to special order. All required money to the detriment of the rest of the family.

Therefore, when in Vitebsk an unusual teenager, towering over the Polotsk bazaar, was spotted by the owner of the German circus, Otto Bilinder, he quickly persuaded Father Fyodor to let his son go with the circus to Germany. The German promised to put on and dress the giant. In addition, he assured that the young man, with his height and strength, would earn a lot of money and then be able to help the family.

So, or something like this, the “Belarusian Gulliver” at the age of 14 left to surprise and conquer Europe with his unusual natural abilities.

Otto Bilinder treated Fedor very well. Since the boy had only three years of education, the German hired teachers to teach him to read and write. German, and he taught the teenager the basics of circus art. Only when the young man was 16 years old, the first contract in his life was signed, and Fedor began to perform in the circus.

During the performance, our giant easily bent horseshoes with one hand, twisted iron rods in a spiral, and then straightened them. With a blow from the edge of his hand, he broke bricks. Lying on his back, without much difficulty, Fyodor lifted a wooden platform on which a three-piece orchestra played.

Makhnov performed in the circus and as a wrestler. His rivals were the most eminent, because not everyone dared to compete with the giant. Only the most technical and dexterous wrestlers went to the duel with the hero, so Makhnov did not achieve particularly large successes on the carpet. However, his mere appearance in the arena delighted the public.

For nine years of work in the circus, Fedor Makhnov became a wealthy person.

At the beginning of the 20th century, he returned to his native place. First of all, Makhnov buys land and a house from the landowner Pavel Konstantinovich Korzhenevsky, who left for France. He rebuilds the dwelling according to his height.

Building materials and furniture were sent to him from Germany by Otto Bilinder. Then the giant decided to bring his wife into the house. Although Fedor was kind by nature, and a rich groom, the matchmakers had difficulty finding a bride for him. She turned out to be a village teacher, Efrosinya Lebedeva. She was above average height, but still below her husband by almost a meter.

Soon after the wedding, a daughter, Maria, was born in the family, and a year later, a son, Nikolai.

From time to time, to replenish the family budget, Fyodor Makhnov left his Velikanov farm "to earn money." He attended wrestling tournaments, demonstrated his natural abilities in circuses and museums in the capital and other cities. Russian empire. During such trips in popular Russian newspapers details of the life of "Vitebsk Gulliver" were published.

In them, in particular, it was written that the weight of the giant reaches 182 kg, and growth slightly decreases in weekdays, but increases after Sunday rest. The reader was also impressed by the anthropological details of Makhnov: the ears were 15 cm long, and the lips were 10 cm wide, the length of the foot and palm were 51 cm and 32 cm, respectively.

In 1905, Fedor Makhnov again went abroad. But now he's gone to Europe just to travel with his family. Fedor visited England, France, Belgium, Holland. In Italy, he was received by the Pope himself. A family tradition says that “during the audience, the Pope, admiring the beautiful daughter Maria, took off and gave the girl a golden cross on a chain.”

Having previously converted the cabin of the ship for himself, Makhnov crossed the Atlantic Ocean in June 1906. In America, he was received by then President Theodore Roosevelt.

From the archives of the Berlin Central Historical Museum, you can find out some details of our fellow countryman's trip abroad: “In Paris, Makhnov quarreled with several townspeople, and they tried to cool his ardor behind bars, but they could not find a cell corresponding to his height, so they got by with a conversation ...

During receptions in palaces, the giant amused himself by lighting up from the candles of the upper tiers and thereby extinguishing them...

When visiting the Chancellor of Germany during dinner, a huge tea service was placed in front of Makhnov. Fedor did not appreciate the “joke” and asked to replace the “bucket” with a human mug ...

The giant ate four times a day, like ordinary people, but the volumes of food were many times greater than the diet of an average person. Every morning he ate 20 eggs, 8 round loaves of white bread with butter, drank 2 liters of tea. Lunch consisted of 2.5 kg of meat, 1 kg of potatoes, 3 liters of beer. In the evening, the giant ate a bowl of fruit, 2.5 kg of meat, 3 loaves of bread and drank 2 liters of tea. And before going to bed, he was served 15 eggs, a loaf of bread, 1 liter of milk or tea...”.

Despite the cordial receptions at the highest level, it was still difficult for Fyodor Makhnov to travel: transport, hotels, restaurants were not adapted to his growth. In addition, scientists increasingly began to offer the giant to conclude a contract with them so that after his death the skeleton would go to them for study. Fearing that he might be killed or poisoned, Makhnov urgently returned to his farm.

The hardships of nomadic life and everyday problems of Gulliver in the country of the Lilliputians did not add to his health. Aggravated diseases earned in the icy waters of the Zaronovka river. With great difficulty he had to move his huge legs.

To facilitate the movement of the giant, Otto Bilinder from Germany sent a heavyweight horse as a gift. Fedor became very attached to the horse, but she did not solve the problem of movement, because when riding, his legs dragged along the ground. When he traveled long distances, he preferred a troika as a means of transportation.

Fyodor Makhnov was a strong master. One of the first in the district, he used agricultural machines, which Bilinder kindly sent him. At one time the giant tried to breed horses.

At this time, the composition of the Fedor family also changes. In 1911, his daughter Masha was born, and a year later, the twins Rodion (Radimir) and Gabriel (Galyun).

In 1912, 6 months after the birth of the babies, the most A tall man the planet has died. The cause of death has not been established for certain. According to some sources, he died of tuberculosis, according to others - from chronic pneumonia.

An obituary appeared in the Russian Sport magazine announcing the death of the famous giant wrestler.

Fyodor Makhnov was buried at the cemetery in the village of Kostyuki.

The coffin and the fence for the giant of coffin affairs were made by the master as for an ordinary person, believing that a mistake had crept into the order. I had to urgently remake the coffin, and the fence was temporarily left brought.

On the stone tombstone one can still read: “Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov, born on June 6, 1878, died. On August 28, 1912, in the 36th year, the Biggest Man in the World Rostom Was 3 arshins 9 vershoks.

In fact, the giant lived for a full 34 years, i.e. died at the age of 35, and the height of 3 arshins 9 inches (254 cm) - almost 30 cm less than the actual one, was taken from the first contract of a 16-year-old growing boy.

The giant's wife subsequently wanted to correct the mistakes on the tombstone and remake the fence, but the First World War and the revolutionary events that followed her prevented her from doing so.

During the Great Patriotic War in these places there were fierce battles. The monument, as a silent witness of those events, still keeps traces of bullets.

Instead of a conclusion

Officially, the tallest man in the world is the American Robert Wadlow, who lived at the beginning of the last century and reached a height of 272 centimeters. But this admission is wrong. After all, the growth of Fedor Makhnov is 285 centimeters.

This was recorded during his lifetime by the Warsaw anthropologist Lushan. In addition, the record growth of our countryman was noted in the journal "Science and Life" for 1970, in the book of the French biologist J. Rostand "Life" and in the science fiction writer Alexander Belyaev in the story "The Island of Lost Ships".

Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov at one time was known to almost the whole world. The fact is that he was the tallest man. With a weight of 182 kilograms, his height was 285 centimeters, and a 12-year-old child could easily fit in his boot.

Fyodor Makhnov was born on June 6 (old style) 1878 in the village of Kostyuki, Vitebsk district (now Belarus) into a poor family. The Makhnov family was taller than average, but not giants. Fedor's mother died during childbirth, the child turned out to be very large. The grandfather took up the upbringing of the boy.

At first, Fedor Makhnov developed like an ordinary child, but by the age of eight he began to grow rapidly. At the age of 12, his height already reached two meters. His foot was 51 centimeters, and his palm was 32 centimeters. His strength was also proportional to his height - he could easily lift an adult or pull a hay cart uphill. The landowner Korzhenevsky hired a young hero to clear the river of boulders that interfered with the operation of the water mill.

When Fedor turned 14, due to his abnormal growth, he even had to rebuild the hut. The children laughed at him because of his height, in response the giant hung their hats on the ridge of the roof or barn.

One day, the owner of a wandering circus, Otto Bidinder, noticed a young giant in the market in Vitebsk, where Fedor worked part-time to earn money for clothes and shoes that were made to order for him. At that time, unusual people were very popular, so Otto persuaded Fyodor's relatives to let the young man go to Germany.

First, Fedor Makhnov studied German and circus art. At the age of 16, the young man signed a contract to work in the circus. Fedor smashed bricks with the edge of his palm, unbent horseshoes, and lying down he could lift a platform with a small orchestra. But for the most part, people came to performances to see the real giant with their own eyes - by the age of 25, Makhnov had grown to 2 meters 85 centimeters.

The giant's food also corresponded to such dimensions. For breakfast, he ate an omelette of 20 eggs, 8 loaves of bread and two liters of tea, for lunch - two and a half kilograms of meat and the same number of potatoes. And Makhnov could sleep for more than 24 hours.

Makhnov gave nine years to work in the circus and became a wealthy person. At the beginning of the 20th century, he moved to his native land, where he bought the land of the landowner Korzhenevsky, and remade the estate to fit his height and named it Velikanovo. Bidinder sent materials for construction from Germany. With Otto Bidinder, Makhnov supported friendly relations until the end of life.

Despite his considerable fortune and good disposition, the giant could not find a mate for a long time. As a result, he married a village teacher Efrosinya Lebedeva. The girl was taller than average, but still a meter shorter than her husband. The wife gave birth to Fedor five children.

Sometimes Fyodor Makhnov went to work in Europe - he performed in circuses. And his popularity hasn't waned. Often he was invited to social events, where he managed to amuse the guests by lighting cigarettes from the chandelier. Trips were difficult for Makhnov: transport, hotels and restaurants did not correspond to the growth of the giant.

Fedor Makhnov died in 1912 at the age of 34. The cause of death is not exactly known. Fedor was buried in a cemetery in the village of Kostyuki.

On the stone tombstone is written: “Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov. Born June 6, 1878. Died August 28, 1912. The tallest man in the world. He was 3 arshins 9 inches tall. In fact, the height is indicated incorrectly: the value of 3 arshins 9 inches (254 centimeters), which is 30 centimeters less than the actual one, was taken from the contract that Fyodor Makhnov concluded at the age of 16.

Hello friends. Friday evening, time to relax and chat with friends. I'm at home finishing up a new article for my favorite readers. No, this time not about any, and other things that I love to tell you so much 🙂

Today I want to tell you the life story of my countryman, Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov. At one time he was known all over the world, but now he is almost forgotten. He would have turned 135 this year. With a weight of 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 firstborn 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 bear the difficult birth and died. Little orphan was taken in 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 as a very strong boy.

At the age of 10, the father took the grown boy to him. Helping his father with the housework, Fedya got stronger and hardened. Large for his age, he could easily drag a peasant cart loaded with hay up the mountain or lift an adult on a dare. Neighbors often used his abilities in the construction of houses, where he helped to lift logs.

The local landowner Korzhenevsky, having learned about the abilities of the young strong man, hired him to clean the nearby Zaronovka River from boulders that interfered with the operation of the water mill. Prolonged work in very cold water played a very unfavorable role in Fedor's life. He caught a cold, and the illnesses that followed later made themselves felt for the rest of Makhnov's life.

By the age of 14, a 2-meter young man ceased to fit in the house. Because of this, my father had to build up walls on several crowns. The local blacksmith was ordered to make an individual bed, but he, overloaded with work, made it all summer. In the end, it turned out that Fedya had outgrown this bed as well.

Tales are still told about the growth of a guy in Kostyuki. They say that children hid in his felt boots, and he pacified his few offenders by putting their hats under the log cabins of the baths or laying them on roof skates.

It was problematic to dress and shoe a tall guy. Everything was made to order. Money for clothes had to be earned in Vitebsk at the Polotsk Bazaar. It was there that the German Otto Bilinder, who owned a traveling circus, noticed an unusual teenager. Being a business man, he quickly realized the prospects of this man in his troupe, and persuaded his father to let Fedor go with the circus. Bilinder undertook to take over all the content of the guy, and in addition he promised that Fedor with his data would be able to make good money and help his family.

It didn’t take long to persuade his father, and the 14-year-old boy went to conquer Europe with his abilities. Otto Bilinder took custody of Fedor. First, for an illiterate guy, he hired teachers who taught him German. Otto took over the teaching of circus art. Fedor's training lasted almost two years. When he was 16 years old, a contract was signed with him for performances. So Fedor Makhnov became a circus artist.

The bet in his speeches was made on power numbers. More than two and a half meters tall, the giant bent iron horseshoes with one hand, smashed bricks with a blow of his hand, twisted metal rods into a spiral, and then straightened them again. Particularly successful were the numbers 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, including Russian titans Zaikin and Poddubny, took part in them. Fedor Makhnov also participated in similar tournaments. True, he did not become a great athlete due to the fact that the world's best wrestlers always came out against him, and a chronic back disease did not allow him to fully show his talents. However, his appearance in the arena alone caused a storm of delight from the public.

Makhnov devoted nine years to work in the circus, after which he became a completely wealthy person. However, great growth also brought a lot of trouble to Fedor. It was hard for him to move, since all transport, hotels, catering establishments were calculated only for people of standard sizes. Because of this, Fedor returned home to his native Kostyuki at the very beginning of the 20th century. For the money earned in circus performances, he bought from the landowner Korzhenevsky, who left for France, his land and house. Makhnov rebuilt the estate to fit 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 by nature he was very kind, and he was not deprived of finances, he found a bride with great difficulty. She became Efrosinya Lebedeva, who worked as a rural teacher. As a girl, she was tall, but still inferior to her fiancé by almost a meter. In 1903, the first daughter Maria appeared in the family, and the next year the son Nikolai was born.

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

Such trips, together with some anthropological details of "Vitebsk Gulliver", were regularly covered by the then press. It was written, in particular, that Fedor has a weight of 182 kg, 15-centimeter ears and 10-centimeter lips. The length of his palm was 32 cm, his feet - 51 cm. Makhnov's height slightly decreased on weekdays and increased over the weekend.

The giant's meals were four times a day, but the portions were truly impressive. For example, breakfast was a set of 8 round loaves of bread and butter, 20 eggs and 2 liters of tea. Lunch was 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 served 1 more loaf of bread, 15 eggs and 1 liter of tea or milk.

In 1905, the Makhnov family went on a tour abroad. Traveling through Western Europe, they visited France, Great Britain, Belgium, Holland, Italy. The Pope himself honored them with an audience. According to family tradition, he took off his golden cross and gave it to the giant's daughter. The Makhnovs also visited the USA. To do this, however, had to redo the cabin of the steamer.

These trips were not without incidents. At receptions in palaces, Fedor lit cigarettes from candles from the upper tiers of chandeliers, which extinguished them.

In Paris, he had a skirmish with several citizens. The policemen who arrived wanted to send the giant to jail, but not finding a suitable cell, they limited themselves to a conversation.

During dinner at the German Chancellor, a huge tea set was placed in front of Makhnov, but Fyodor did not appreciate such a “joke”, demanding to replace it with an ordinary mug.

But although receptions at the most high levels and were hospitable, traveling the world was difficult. First of all, the unsuitable sizes of transport, housing and restaurants affected. In addition, various scientists began to besiege Makhnov, 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, Fedor interrupted his foreign tour and returned to his home at Velikanov Khutor.

A long nomadic life undermined Makhnov's already not very good health. The chronic disease of the joints, earned in childhood in the cold water of Zaronovka, aggravated. It became more and more difficult to walk. Otto Bilinder tried to help Fedor by sending a heavyweight horse from Germany. Unfortunately, the sent animal did not solve the problem, because with its nearly three-meter height, the giant's legs still dragged along the ground when he mounted it. And although Fedor became very attached to the horse, he preferred to take the troika as the main means of transportation on trips.

Traveling abroad brought a lot of new things to the economic life of Fyodor Makhnov. Almost the first in the district, he began to use agricultural machines, purchased by him in Germany and kindly sent by Bilinder. For a while, he even bred horses.

Unfortunately, Fyodor Makhnov did not live long. In 1912, chronic illnesses finally crippled the giant's health, and he died at the age of 34, having, however, managed to rejoice before that 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 such an early departure of Makhnov's life was never determined. In some documents it is written that he died of tuberculosis, in others - from chronic pneumonia. The Vitebsk giant was buried at the local cemetery near the village of Kostyuki. Russian Sport magazine published an obituary announcing his death.

The growth of Fyodor Makhnov, even after his death, continued to amaze everyone. The undertaker, thinking that there had been a mistake in the order for the coffin and the fence, did the job for the average person. When it turned out that he was mistaken, he had to urgently redo the coffin, and there was no time left to remake the fence, and he had to leave it.

On the surviving tombstone, one can still read the inscription: “Fedor Andreevich Makhnov, born on June 6, 1878, died. On August 28, 1912, in the 36th year, the Biggest Man in the World Rostom Was 3 arshins 9 vershoks.

The story about Fyodor Makhnov can be supplemented by the fact that his height on the tombstone is indicated incorrectly. He was taken from a contract with Bilinder, signed by the giant at the age of 16. Since that moment, Fedor has grown another 30 cm.

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

In 1934, the remains of Makhnov were exhumed for scientific purposes and sent to the Minsk medical institute for studying. During the war, the giant's skeleton was lost, like many other things. Only a photograph and a 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 unquestionably known, is Robert Wadlow, who lived in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. His height reached 272 centimeters.

But this admission is wrong! After all, the growth of Fedor Andreevich Makhnov is 285 centimeters. And it is he who is the tallest man in the world in history. Height was measured and officially recorded by the Warsaw anthropologist Lushan. In addition, the record growth of our compatriot was noted in the journal "Science and Life" for 1970 and science fiction writer Alexander Belyaev in the novel "The Man Who Lost Face" and its revised version "The Man Who Found His Face".

Fedor Andreevich Makhnov. Photos: