Adam Rainer, the only man in recorded history to have been both a dwarf and a giant. At 19, he was just 4’8” . Because of a pituitary tumor, by age 33 he reached a height of 7’2” , and upon his death at 51 he grew to be 7’8”
Rainer was born in Austria in 1899 and by the time he was 19 years old, he was 4 ft 8 in tall. He tried to enlist in the military to fight in World War 1, but was told that he was too short.
Then due to a pituitary tumor—which led to an overproduction of growth hormones—he hit a remarkable growth spurt that allowed him to reach a height of 7 ft 2 in by the age of 33. His US shoe size was size 20 and his hands measured 9.4 inches . By the time of his death at age 51, he was 7 ft 8 in tall and weighed 241 pounds.
Theodore Lee is the editor of Caveman Circus. He strives for self-improvement in all areas of his life, except his candy consumption, where he remains a champion gummy worm enthusiast. When not writing about mindfulness or living in integrity, you can find him hiding giant bags of sour patch kids under the bed.