Fyodor Makhnov - the tallest man on the planet at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, (8 photos). The tallest people: Fyodor Makhnov The tallest man in the world Russian

In 1905, a note was published about him: “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 free with my head. A silver ruble passes through the ring that the giant wears on his index finger.”

And in December 1906, St. Petersburg newspapers wrote: “The other day, the Russian giant Fyodor Makhnov, who is 2 meters 68 cm tall, arrived in St. Petersburg and will be shown in one of the auditoriums, a height that has never before been seen in any part of the globe”...

By that time, the Russian giant had already turned into a “world-famous living exhibit,” and this fabulous exclusivity was not comparable to that short life which this amazing man lived.

IN Tsarist Russia the peasant Fyodor Makhnov was called a Russian giant. Despite the quite decent height of his parents and two brothers, the height and size young Fedor were impressive - already in his youth he was approximately 2.5 meters. The length of his foot was 51 cm, the length of his palm was 31 cm. At the same time, he weighed 182 kg and was extremely strong.

At that time, Fedor was considered not only the tallest man in the Russian Empire, but also the tallest man who ever lived on Earth. His height, according to unofficial data, was 285 centimeters. And the officially recognized record is 272 cm. It belongs to the American Robert Wadlow. It is the growth of the American giant that is considered undoubted and recognized to this day, listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

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. Fyodor's mother soon dies after a difficult birth. The newborn was too big. The child was taken in by his grandparents.

Until the age of 8, Fedor’s growth did not cause much surprise and did not differ much from the growth of his peers. However, after that it began to grow “exorbitantly” quickly.

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.

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 circus artist.

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 chronic illness his back 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 the transport, hotels, establishments Catering counted only on people standard sizes. Because of this, Fedor returned home to his native Kostyuki at the very beginning of the twentieth century. With the money he earned in circus performances, he bought his land and house from the landowner Korzhenevsky, who had gone to 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.

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 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 he might be killed 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 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 early care their lives were never determined by Makhnov. 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, 36 years old The Biggest Man in the World Height 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. 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 first World War and the revolutionary events that followed prevented her from doing this.

One day, one of the sons of the Belarusian giant, having entered medical university, told the professors what an unusual person his father was. Then the scientists persuaded the widow Euphrosyne to give permission to exhume the remains. The skeleton of Gulliver from the Belarusian outback was examined by scientists from Belarus and Russia, and they came to the conclusion that his enormous growth was the result of a disease of the pituitary gland of the brain, which did not produce hormones correctly, but was not hereditary, so Makhnov’s children most likely received their usual human height from her mother - after all, she was not a little lady at all.

Before the war, the skeleton of the tallest man in the world was kept in the anatomical museum of the medical institute. And when the capital of the BSSR was occupied by the Nazis, the unique exhibit disappeared along with many other relics.

According to the stories of old-timers, the Minsk Gauleiter Wilhelm Kube was very proud of this “find” and was awarded for it, because Hitler, who, as is known, was delirious with the idea of ​​​​an Aryan supernation, was delighted to receive such a gift, and Nazi scientists spent a lot of time and human lives, trying to influence the pituitary gland to get a whole army of such giants.

The giant’s granddaughter Alla Dmitrieva lives in Minsk and knows her grandfather only from her mother’s stories: “He was a very kind and generous person, he did not refuse help to anyone, people from all over the area turned to him for money. In general, my grandfather loved his homeland very much, because he was treated like a person, and he completely refused his entrepreneur’s offer to be buried in Berlin - he did not want him to be turned into an attraction even after his death.

Instead of a conclusion

It may well be that recognizing Robert Wadlow's height as the tallest man on Earth is wrong! After all, the growth of Fyodor Makhnov was measured and officially recorded by the Warsaw anthropologist Lushan. In addition, the record growth of our compatriot was noted in the magazine “Science and Life” for 1970 and by the science fiction writer Alexander Belyaev in the story “The Island of Lost Ships.”

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, he soon became tired of circus life, 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.

His height was 272 cm. However, Belarusians do not agree with the opinion of this reputable publication. They know for sure that a giant worthy of the title tall man world, lived in the Vitebsk province, and his name was Fyodor 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 throughout the world, but today he has been practically forgotten.

Childhood of a giant

Fate had in store for Makhnov a short, but incredibly interesting life. Fyodor Andreevich was born back in 1878 in the village of Kostyuki, located near Vitebsk. His parents were poor peasants whose ancestors moved to Russian Empire from Syria. Makhnov became the first giant in his family. 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 his unusually large stature. His mother could not stand the difficult birth and died without ever seeing the baby. early years the boy spent with his grandfather, who is his grandson. Fedya differed from his peers not only in his gigantic size, but also in his heroic strength. At the age of 12, his height exceeded 2 meters. Young Makhnov easily lifted adults, independently dragged heavy carts and helped his neighbors in building houses, carrying logs with his bare hands. The children laughed at the giant, and in retaliation for this he took their hats and hung them on the roof ridges.

Meet Otto Bilinder

When Fedya turned 14 years old, his father had to raise the ceilings in the house, because the guy no longer fit in it. The bed for the young man was ordered according to individual measurements from a local blacksmith. Shoes and clothes for him had to be made to order. Since Fyodor’s family was poor, he had to earn money for clothes and food at the market in Vitebsk. It was there that he was once noticed by the owner of a German traveling circus, Otto Bilinder. The foreigner was impressed by the boy’s gigantic growth, and he quickly realized that he could earn good money from this. Without thinking twice, he turned to Makhnov’s father with a request to let his son go with him to Germany. Having received his consent, he took the young man into his circus troupe. From that moment on, the 14-year-old ordinary giant Fedya left his father's house and set out 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 language teachers for the boy and personally began to teach him all the intricacies of circus art. Under Bilinder's guidance, 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 most huge man on the planet. Together with the troupe, Fedor traveled to many countries and became a giant strongman known throughout Europe. In those days, giant people were a novelty, so many spectators went to Bilinder’s circus 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 he reached 285 cm. Appearance The 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, like most people, ate 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 acting career Makhnov managed to earn a lot of money and become a quite wealthy man. At the age of 25, he decided to leave the circus troupe and return home. Giant growth brought young man many inconveniences while touring. It did not fit in hotel rooms and restaurants, and the transport was forced to choose only with an open top. Tired of endless travel, Makhnov at the beginning of the 20th century said a warm goodbye to Bilinder and returned to his village of Kostyuki. With the money he earned during his performances, he purchased an estate from the local landowner Korzhenevsky. Fyodor Makhnov re-equipped the house to suit his height, ordered for rooms suitable furniture and lived for his own pleasure.

Marriage to teacher Efrosinya

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

During the years of marriage, Fyodor and Euphrosyne had 5 children (all of them grew tall, but their height did not exceed two meters). The family lived in Makhnov’s estate, to 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, took part in wrestling tournaments.

Future life

In 1905, the giant Fyodor Makhnov went on a tour of foreign countries, taking with him his wife and children. He visited England, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Italy. The Belarusian giant was granted an audience with the Pope himself. Later, the Makhnov couple went by ship to the USA. For Fyodor's sake, the ship's crew had to remodel the cabin to suit his height. With his appearance, the circus performer created a sensation everywhere. In many countries, he was invited to receptions with high-ranking officials, where he freely lit cigarettes from candles in chandeliers. In France, Makhnov had a serious conflict with local population. The arriving police wanted to put the giant behind bars, but they could not find a suitable cell for him and were forced to release him.

Euphrosyne liked living abroad so much that she was thinking of staying there forever. However, an incident with German doctors forced her to change her plans. Doctors began to persuade Makhnov to sign a contract, under the terms of which, after his death, they would have the opportunity to conduct scientific experiments on his body. Euphrosyne was horrified by what she heard and, fearing that some misfortune might happen to her husband, persuaded him to return to his homeland.

First serious health problems

Due to frequent travel, Fyodor Makhnov began to complain about his health. His height of 285 centimeters did not have the best effect on his health. After returning to Velikanovo, the man suffered from aggravation of what he had received in childhood. chronic illness joints. His legs hurt so much that it was difficult for him to walk. But, despite his health problems, Makhnov tried to lead his usual life. He did not give up performing in the circus and even entered the wrestling ring.

Death of a Giant

An ordinary giant from Kostyukov was kind person and a caring husband. He lived with Euphrosyne in love and harmony, doted on his children, and did not refuse help to any of his fellow countrymen. Unfortunately, fate gave Fedor a short 34 years. He died in 1912, leaving his wife with five small children in his arms (his youngest twin sons Rodion and Gabriel were only 6 months old at the time of his death). Sudden departure circus performer's 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, a disease that affects most people of gigantic stature. There is also a version that Fedor was poisoned by ill-wishers.

Even after death, the height of the tallest man on the planet continued to amaze those around him. When the undertaker received an order for a coffin and a grave fence for Makhnov, he decided that the relatives of the deceased had messed up something with the measurements. He made the house and fence of standard sizes. When it turned out that Fyodor’s relatives had not mixed up anything, he had to hastily redo the coffin in order to be in time for the funeral. There was no time to make a new fence, so we had to be content with the one we had. Fyodor was buried in a cemetery near 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 Makhnov’s grave is to blame. It says that the giant’s height was 3 arshins and 9 vershoks, which is equivalent to 253 centimeters. However, the data indicated on the tombstone was taken from the contract that 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 residents of the Vitebsk region from being proud of their fellow countryman and calling him the tallest man in the world.

IN pre-revolutionary Russia the whole planet knew him. He was a real giant. His height was 285 cm. This record has not yet been challenged. They say that despite his colossal size, he was known as a good-natured and kind-hearted person. He was an exemplary family man and raised his five heirs. According to rumors, the birch tree he once planted is still growing. According to some reports, fans even want to erect a monument to him. It's about about Fedor Makhnov - the tallest man in the whole world...

Makhnov was raised by his grandfather

Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov, whose height was 285 centimeters, was born in the summer of 1878 in the village of Kostyuki, near Vitebsk. The future giant came from of the most ancient kind. His ancestors moved to the Russian Empire from Syrian lands. The parents and sisters of the main character of our story were of absolutely normal height. His grandfather was quite tall, but by no means a giant.

The first child of the family was very large, but three months after birth he died. Then Fedor himself appeared. His mother died immediately after giving birth.

Fyodor's dad did not grieve for long and married again. They had two more children of their own. Everything would have been nice, but Fedor began to grow very quickly. What can I say, there was no place for him even on the stove. It was for this reason that the grandfather of the future giant took him to his place.

Gulliver's childhood

At the age of 8-10 years, Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov was already able to lift an adult man. He also always won the bet when he pulled a cart loaded with hay up the mountain. Accordingly, the villagers periodically began to call him to help with housework. Either he lifted logs when the residents began to build their huts, or he was engaged in other similar matters.

When he was twelve, Fyodor Makhnov’s height was already two meters. By the way, he could sleep for more than a day.

According to recollections, the tallest man in the world was good-natured and cheerful. I practiced the harmonica and played with local kids who were hiding in Fedor’s felt boots. Well, if he was offended, he could take off the hats of the “offenders” and hide them under the logs of barns and bathhouses or, say, hang them on the ridge of the roof.

At some time, due to his great height, the hut was rebuilt, raising the ceilings. And the blacksmith made a custom bed. But very soon Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov outgrew this couch.

Meeting with the director of the Berlin circus

While still a child, Fedor Makhnov (Russian giant) began to earn money. So, having learned about his unprecedented capabilities, a local landowner decided to hire him to clear large boulders from the Zaronovka River flowing nearby. They seriously interfered with the smooth running of the water mill. Makhnov completed his job, but while working in the icy water, he caught a cold and caught cold feet. Doctors diagnosed him with rheumatism. In fact, he subsequently died from it. But that was much later.

It was quite problematic to put shoes and clothes on a giant who was still growing. Of course, everything was made for him according to a special order and not free of charge. To earn money, Fedor and his grandfather came to Vitebsk and sold their products at the market. On one of his visits to the city, he was noticed by the director of a traveling circus, Otto Bilinder. At that time, his troupe was just touring. Being German, the circus owner invited the giant to go to work in Berlin and perform in the circus arena. Bilinder swore to his grandfather that he would put shoes and clothes on Fedor. In addition, he promised that a boy with his abilities would be able to earn a lot of money and then be able to support and help the whole family.

So fourteen-year-old Fyodor Makhnov set off to conquer Europe.

First contract

Since Fyodor Andreevich had only a three-year education, Bilinder hired teachers. He was taught not only literacy, but also the German language. Bilinder himself began to teach Fedor the basics of circus art. Two years later, that is, when the boy turned sixteen, he signed the first contract in his life and began performing in the arena.

The emphasis in his performances was, of course, on power numbers. Young Makhnov easily bent and unbent horseshoes. And with one hand. He broke bricks with the edge of his palm, twisted metal rods into a spiral, and raised a platform with people.

In addition, wrestling tournaments were extremely popular in all circuses at that time. Famous world-class wrestlers also took part in them, among whom were such strongmen as Poddubny and Zaikin. Most A tall man in the world, Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov also took part in such competitions. Alas, he did not become a great fighter. The reason was primarily a chronic illness that he acquired in the Zaronovka River. However, as soon as he appeared in the arena, the audience immediately began to applaud him. By this time his height had reached 2 meters 85 cm.

In a word, Bilinder's circus became popular. Its owner became rich, as did Fyodor Makhnov, the tallest man in the world. One day he came to his village on leave. As a sign of recognition and respect, he presented his grandfather with an excellent suit with patent leather boots. In those days, this was real wealth for the villagers.

Makhnov bought the estate of his landowner

For nine years Makhnov worked as a circus performer. Of course, he became a wealthy man, but his growth brought nothing but trouble. Any move was very difficult for him. Hotels, catering establishments, and transport did not accommodate its dimensions at all. It was because of this that at the beginning of the twentieth century Fyodor decided to return to his homeland, to his native village.

Upon his return, the tallest man in the world, Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov, thought about his own spacious house. Fortunately, the landowner Korzhenevsky had settled in France at that time, and therefore his mansion and land were empty. As a result, Makhnov bought the estate and rebuilt everything to suit his growth. He also furnished everything with appropriate furniture. By the way, the building materials were sent by the same Bilinder from Germany.

When everything was ready, Makhnov renamed the estate Velikanovo.

Long-awaited marriage

By this time, Fyodor Makhnov decided to get married. Of course, the search for a bride was difficult. Not every girl was ready to become his wife. The priest and the doctor who examined him spoke with the giant.

The fact is that Fyodor Makhnov’s height was considered a disease. And when the doctor reported that all his organs were completely in order, and he himself was quite suitable for full-fledged life. family life, a bride was found. Her name was Efrosinya Lebedeva. She worked in rural school and was two years younger than Fedor. Efrosinya was also quite tall, but still inferior to the groom by almost one meter.

As a result, the wedding took place. And in 1903, the first-born appeared in the Makhnov family - daughter Masha. Following her, an heir was born - son Nikolai. And a few years later they had three more children. By the way, the height of the heirs never reached more than two meters.

The Makhnov family lived in harmony and love, together. Efrosinia Lebedeva became Fyodor Andreevich's companion for life. Makhnov was a very kind man, he loved his children. He was always ready to help the villagers, for which they all respected him.

Also, on occasion, the tallest man in the world went to various wrestling tournaments in order to replenish family budget. Of course, he periodically performed in the circus arena, demonstrating his abilities in different Russian cities. And invitations continued to come from Germany to return to their native circus...

Foreign tour

As a result, the Makhnov family went to the German capital. The strongman continued to amaze the audience at the circus, and his wife began working there - she was a cashier. The inhabitants of Germany were ready to fulfill any whim of the giant. So, in the middle of winter, Fedor urgently wanted strawberries. It was delivered to him immediately.

At the same time, his meeting with the Chancellor of Germany took place. When everyone began to dine, a rather large and beautiful tea set was placed in front of Fyodor. But he asked to give him an ordinary mug.

After working in a German circus, a French contract followed. As a result, the Makhnov family moved to Paris. One day there was a clash with several residents of the capital. Law enforcement officers were going to send Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov to the police station, but could not find the appropriate cell. The police had to limit themselves to a moralizing conversation.

In general, during this period 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. At parties, the giant Fyodor Makhnov, without hesitation, lit cigarettes from the candles that were on the upper tiers of the chandeliers. Accordingly, he involuntarily extinguished them.

The family of Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov was also in the United States. True, in order to cross the Atlantic, the ship's cabin had to be remodeled. While in the United States, Makhnov’s wife found herself in a situation. The American authorities invited her to give birth with them. But this greatly alarmed Fedor. As a result, he decided to send his wife home, while he stayed behind for now.

Meanwhile, German doctors offered him to sign another expensive contract. According to him, after his death, the corpse of Fyodor Andreevich should be left to doctors for the purpose of study. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, because of this contract, Makhnov began to fear for his life. Therefore, he decided to urgently return to Europe.

And interest in his personality continued to grow steadily.

For breakfast, Makhnov could swallow two dozen eggs

So, back in Paris, French scientists managed to measure the length of the giant’s palms and feet - 35 cm and 51 cm, respectively. They were surprised.

The newspapers said that a twelve-year-old teenager could fit in the boot of Fyodor Andreevich Makhnov.

Makhnov's head turned out to be very small for such a large body. Accordingly, all this gave him a rather ridiculous appearance.

As for food, he had four meals a day. True, breakfast alone could feed an average family. In the mornings he ate twenty eggs and several loaves of bread with butter. He also drank almost two liters of tea. When lunch came, he ate about 2.5 kilograms of meat, a kilo of potatoes and three liters of beer. For dinner - again meat, bread, tea and a large bowl of fruit. Before going to bed he was able to drink one liter of milk and eat fifteen eggs.

Homecoming

When the tallest man in the world, Fyodor Makhnov, returned to Europe, his illness, which was acquired in childhood, worsened again. It became more difficult for him to walk.

An old acquaintance, Bilinder, wanted to help him and sent him a heavy horse. But the problem remained unresolved. The giant's lower limbs dragged along the ground as he mounted his horse. Therefore, the main means of transportation was still a troika.

Meanwhile, news arrived that Fyodor had twins. Having learned about this, he decided to break the contract and urgently returned home. Although even before that he was planning to visit Australia. In fact, many plans were completely disrupted.

So, having returned to his homeland, Makhnov intended to open a small enterprise. He was going to give work to all his relatives on it. But I didn’t have time.

Also, the head of the Vitebsk province intended to award him the title of nobility. But due to his illness, and then because of death, this did not happen.

But Fedor managed to introduce many innovations to the economy. Almost the first in the area, he began to actively use machines related to agriculture. He bought them from Germany, and the same Bilinder sent them. In addition, he managed to take up horse breeding.

Fellow countrymen came to Fedor from all over the area. Of course, they mostly came asking for help. According to recollections, he never refused - he gave money, food, or cattle.

All this ended when a chronic illness in Once again worsened.

Gulliver's Death

In 1912, Fyodor Makhnov (his height was 285 centimeters and his chronic illness made itself felt) finally fell ill. He began to experience terrible pain in his legs and stopped walking. According to his memoirs, he did not let his wife go, he always wanted her to be nearby. He trusted only her to smear the terrible wounds on his joints. But these ointments and medicines did not help.

Before his death, Otto Bilinder, the same circus director, also arrived. He suggested that he book a place in the Berlin churchyard. He was also ready to make a monument out of marble. But Fedor refused, saying that he would be buried only in the village cemetery. And so it happened.

According to eyewitnesses, a huge number of residents and his fans came to say goodbye to the giant. And the prestigious publication “Russian Sport” decided to publish an obituary that announced his death.

Life after death

After his death, rumors began to circulate that Makhnov had been poisoned. The killers were rivals on the wrestling mat. But no one will know about this anymore.

In the mid-30s, Fyodor's son Rodion studied at a medical institute in the capital of Belarus. It was then that he was asked to sell his father's skeleton. They say his mother agreed to this dubious proposal and received five thousand rubles.

According to rumors, the skeleton of a giant was then in the walls anatomical museum medical institute. And when the fascist invaders occupied Minsk, this unique exhibit was lost. According to some evidence, he was taken by the Gauleiter of the Belarusian capital V. Kube. He was proud of him and allegedly even received an award for it. After all, it is known that Nazi scientists dreamed of creating a new Aryan supernation. And among these “new people” there should have been giants. That is, like the tall peasant from the Velikanovo farm... You can see a photo of Fyodor Makhnov in the article.