Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov was the most A tall man in the Russian Empire. His foot was 51 centimeters and his palm 32 centimeters. The young peasant weighed 182 kilograms and was reputed to be very strong. According to some reports, he was the tallest man on Earth in history. His height was exactly 2 meters 85 centimeters.

Fedya's childhood

Born into a peasant family in the Staroselsky volost of the Vitebsk province (now Belarus) on June 6, 1878. His parents, as well as his brothers and sisters, were above average height, but they were not giants. Fedor, in his youth, grew to 2.5 meters. 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 in by his grandparents to be raised. But at the age of 10, the father took the grown boy back to 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.
At a 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.

his boot could fit a 12 year old child

When the young giant turned 14 years old, he began to hit his head on the ceiling, and the hut had to be rebuilt. They were supposed to make a custom bed for Fyodor, but the blacksmith delayed fulfilling the order, and the boy managed to outgrow it. One day, a giant teenager working part-time at the Polotsk Bazaar in Vitebsk was seen by Otto Bilinder, the owner of a nomadic circus. It is worth considering that this was the end of the 19th century, at that time the performances of miracle people were extremely popular. The German persuaded Fedor’s relatives to send him to Germany.

He pacified his few offenders by stuffing their hats under the logs of the bathhouses or laying them on the ridges of the roofs

Work in the circus

Circus poster

This is how the young giant came to Europe. First, Fedor studied German and at the same time mastered the circus craft. He learned to effectively unbend horseshoes and break bricks with his palm. At the age of 16, Fyodor Makhnov signed a contract to work in the circus. The audience was delighted. People came to the performances not so much to watch 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.

Fedor Andreevich Makhnov in Europe

He performed in Germany, Great Britain and the USA, where he met President Theodore Roosevelt.

In Europe, the giant was a real curiosity and a public favorite

It is worth noting that moving was difficult for him, since all transport, hotels, and catering establishments were designed only for people of standard sizes. After nine years of working in the circus, he returned to his native village. With the money he 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 the artist remained friends.

Family

Upon arriving home, Makhnov bought the estate and rebuilt everything to suit his growth. He also furnished everything with appropriate furniture. By the way, Construction Materials sent by the same Bilinder from Germany. Later, the village in which Fyodor’s family lived was called the “Giant Farm.” This is the former village of Gorbachi (now Grodno region of Belarus).

Fedor was very kind person, loved his children, was always ready to help the villagers

Some time later, Fyodor married a local teacher, Efrosinya Lebedeva. Her height was more than 180 cm, but her 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 constant success. After the performances, 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 the police tried to arrest him for hooliganism or non-compliance with the contract. But each time Makhnov was released, because there was simply no cell in which he could fit.

Eating a Giant

Each meal consisted of several kilograms of food, and Makhnov could sleep for as long as 24 hours. The giant had 4 meals a day. 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.

Body parameters

His foot was 51 centimeters and his palm 32 centimeters. The young peasant weighed 182 kilograms and was reputed to be very strong. According to some reports, he was the tallest man on Earth in history. His height was exactly 2 meters 85 centimeters. And this despite the fact that the official world record is 2 meters 72 centimeters (American Robert Wadlow).

Death

Fyodor Andreevich died on August 28 (September 10), 1912, at the age of 34. Presumably from a lung disease, although there are other versions. Someone said that the giant was poisoned by rivals or envious people, but no evidence was given for this. He was buried in a graveyard outside the village of Gorbachi. In 1939, his ashes were removed for scientific research. But the coffin and monument were left in the same form. On the obelisk you can still read: “Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov. Born June 6, 1878. Died on August 28, 1912. The tallest man in the world. He was 3 arshins 9 inches tall.”

3 arshins 9 vershoks equal 254 centimeters, this figure was taken from the contract of 16-year-old Fedor. But after 16 years, Fyodor Makhnov continued to grow and, presumably, could add another 31 cm, reaching 285 cm. The giant’s wife, Euphrosyne, wanted to correct the incorrect indicator on the monument, but she was prevented by the outbreak of the First World War, and then the revolution. Unfortunately, no official confirmation of such gigantic growth. There is a version that 285 cm is the figure that was indicated on the posters and was taken taking into account the Cossack hat and high-heeled boots. These items of clothing were certainly used during Fedor’s performances. The only reliable source to judge the giant’s growth is lifetime photographs. However, comparing Fedor with other objects on them known height presented in the photographs, we can conclude that, at least at the time of photography, the giant’s height did not exceed 240 cm. Moreover, during the time of Fyodor Makhnov, official measurements were not taken, and since he was performing on a tour of Europe, the organizers quite may have exaggerated his height. According to other sources, Fedor’s height was 239 cm.
On June 26, 2010 in Vitebsk, the Vitebsk City Executive Committee and the newspaper “Vitbichi” organized an Open city competition for the tallest person in memory of Fyodor Makhnov “Vitebsk Giant”. The winner of the competition among men was Vitebsk resident Alexey Andreyanov with a height of 208 cm. Among women, Natalya Rusanova was the tallest - 197.5 cm.

• Fedor managed to bring many innovations to the village economy. Almost the first in the area, he began to actively use machines related to agriculture, which I purchased in Germany.
• When traveling on a ship across the Atlantic, I had to remodel the ship's cabin for Fedor.
• The Makhnov family visited almost all European countries. They were even in the Vatican and communicated with the Pope himself. According to family legend, he gave his golden cross to the daughter of the tallest man in the world.

Photo of the tallest man in the Russian Empire

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Fedor Andreevich Makhnov - the tallest man in the world in history

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. 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 numbers when he, lying on his back, lifted 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 a big increase 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 foot – 51 cm. Makhnov’s height decreased slightly in 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 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 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 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.

Traveling abroad has brought economic life Fedor Makhnov has a lot of new things. 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 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.

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 first World War and the revolutionary events that followed prevented her from doing this.

In 1934, Makhnov’s remains were exhumed for scientific purposes and sent to Minsk medical school for studying. 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.

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 journal “Science and Life” for 1970.

At one time almost the whole world knew Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov. The fact is that he was the tallest man. Weighing 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 above average in height, but not giants. Fyodor's mother died during childbirth; the child turned out to be very large. The grandfather took up raising the boy.

At first, Fyodor Makhnov developed as befits 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 consistent with his height - he could easily lift an adult man or pull a cart of hay up a mountain. The landowner Korzhenevsky hired a young hero to clear the river of boulders that were interfering with the operation of the water mill.

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

One day, the owner of a nomadic circus, Otto Bidinder, noticed a young giant at the market in Vitebsk, where Fyodor 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.

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

The giant's diet corresponded to these 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 amount of potatoes. And Makhnov could sleep for more than 24 hours.

Makhnov spent nine years working in the circus and became a wealthy man. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he moved to his native land, where he bought the land of the landowner Korzhenevsky, and remodeled the estate to suit his height and named it Velikanovo. Bidinder sent materials for construction from Germany. Makhnov maintained friendly relations with Otto Bidinder until the end of his 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 rural teacher, Efrosinya Lebedeva. The girl was taller than average, but still a meter shorter than her husband. His wife gave birth to Fyodor five children.

Sometimes Fyodor Makhnov went to work in Europe and performed in circuses. And his popularity did not decline. He was often invited to social events, where he managed to amuse the guests by lighting cigarettes from the chandelier. Traveling was difficult for Makhnov: transport, hotels and restaurants did not correspond to the size of the giant.

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

On the stone tombstone it is written: “Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov. Born June 6, 1878. Died on 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 vershoks (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.

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!

Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov was born on June 6 (18th according to the new style) June 1878 in the village of Kostyuki, Staroselsky volost, Vitebsk district. He came from ancient family, whose ancestors moved to Russia from the south, from Syria. Makhnov's parents, as well as his two sisters, were of quite normal height; his grandfather was very tall, but, in any case, not a giant.

The boy was born very large, and his mother died during childbirth. Fedya was raised by his grandfather, who loved him very much. 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” of 2 meters. He could sleep for more than 24 hours straight.

Other children made fun of him because of his height. For this, he took off their hats and hung them on the ridge of the roof of a bathhouse or barn. Due to the growth of his son, Fyodor’s father had to rebuild the hut, raising the ceilings. As his height increased, so did the boy's strength. He could lift an adult man, independently pull a cart with hay, and helped in the construction of houses by lifting heavy 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-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.

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.

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.

The enterprising German quickly realized what benefits could be derived from the boy’s growth and suggested that Fedya’s father let his son go to Germany to perform in the circus.

Poster of performances

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.

In Berlin, Otto Bilinder settled the guest at his home 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.

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.

Fedor in Europe

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, Fedor 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.

Fyodor with his wife Efrosinya

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.

Fedor on a trip abroad

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, rebuilt the house according to his parameters. Otto Bilinder sent him furniture from Germany. I've 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 their son Nikolai in 1904. In 1911-12, the Makhnovs had three more children. Thus, the Makhnovs had five children in total. None of them grew above two meters. They lived together in love and harmony. Fedor was a kind man, loved his children, helped the peasants. And from Germany there were invitations to return to the circus again...

Together they traveled the world. Fyodor was at a reception with the German Chancellor, at an audience with the Pope, who liked Fyodor’s little daughter Maria so much that he took off a gold cross on a chain and gave it to the girl, at 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 her to sign a contract, according to which, after death, the giant’s corpse would be left for 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.

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 of white bread with butter, and 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.

As anthropologists rightly noted, this resident of Belarus is “just legs.” His boot, barely reaching the giant’s knee, reached his chest normal person, and a 12-year-old boy could fit headlong into it. If Fedor 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.

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.

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. German doctors believed that Makhnov died from bone tuberculosis, which many giants suffered from. According to other sources, he caught a cold and got pneumonia. The possibility of poisoning by rivals on the wrestling mat cannot be ruled out either. According to his grandson, there is a version that Fyodor, having moved to the farm, did not give up performing in the circus. He often traveled to Germany with his family.

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.

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. Since then, Fedor has grown 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.

There is also this version of how this happened: 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 during the exhumation, including a 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.

However, according to descendants, “ No one opened the grave, much less sold anything! The remains disappeared after the Second World War and were presumably taken to Germany because... Even before the revolution, the German Academy of Natural Sciences wanted to receive them.»

Today, the children of Fyodor and Efrosinya Makhnov are no longer alive. Everyone lived a difficult but worthy 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 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 towns 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.

Makhnov met with the head of the traveling circus, Otto Bilinder, at the market, where he helped his grandfather sell agricultural products from the farm. Bilinder invited the young giant to his place and promised him a lucrative contract. Fedor agreed. In the arena, he demonstrated not only his height, but also his strength. He bent metal rods, lifted several spectators under the dome at once and acted as a wrestler. During the tour, Makhnov visited Germany, England, the USA and even met American President Theodore Roosevelt. However, soon circus life he got tired of it, and Fedor returned to his homeland.

After some time, Makhnov got married. His chosen one was the local teacher Efrosinya Lebedeva. Surprisingly, she was also tall - 2 meters 15 centimeters. However, compared to her husband, of course, even she looked small. Fellow countrymen nicknamed the place where the newlyweds Makhnov lived, Velikanovy Khutor.

Information about Fedor’s anthropometric data after 16 years was not preserved or did not exist at all. But if we take into account the fact that a person continues to grow until the age of 25, as well as photographs of the giant next to his wife and the testimony of his contemporaries, we can conclude that the height of the adult giant was 2 meters 85 centimeters. And this is 13 centimeters more than the record holder Wadlow.