John Aasen (March 5, 1890 â€" August 1, 1938) was an American silent
film actor and sideshow performer who was one of the tallest actors in
history.Aasen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His mother, Kristi
(Danielsen) from Rollag in Numedal, was an extremely tall Norwegian
woman of around 2.20 m (almost 7 ft 3 inches) in height (latest
information from September 2008, sets her height to 188 cm, almost 6
ft 2 inches). It is not certain who his father was, but according to
Aasen's sister Evelyn (who died in 1988), his father was Alfred Aasen.
When Aasen was ten years old, he and his mother moved from Ridgeway,
Iowa (where his uncle Sam/Sevre lived with his wife Cornelia) to
Sheyenne, North Dakota with his two younger siblings. Aasen was a
Freemason. He raised to the degree of Master Mason at Highland Park
Lodge No. 382, Los Angeles on July 14, 1924.When in Sheyenne, Aasen's
mother operated a restaurant. He attended school and helped out in the
family business. In 1902, Aasen's mother died. He was taken into many
homes and families. When a family he was staying with started to
operate a hotel in Leeds, North Dakota, he moved with them there.
Aasen's growth started slowly. When he was confirmed in the Lutheran
faith in Grandfield Lutheran Church near Sheyenne, North Dakota, he
was the shortest in his class. According to some sources, Aasen was
around 2.74 m or 8 feet, 11½ inches (which, if true, would make him
even taller than Robert Wadlow, the tallest verified person in
history). The Top 10 of Everything 2010 edition states his height at 8
feet, 9.7 inches (2.68 m).According to the 1978 edition of Guinness
World Records he was only 7 feet (213.4 cm). Just before his death, at
age 46, he was medically measured at 7 feet 0.9 inches, however he had
lost some height due to age and could not stand completely straight
anymore. In June 2008, Loma Linda University confirmed that the
7-foot-2.4-inch (219 cm) skeleton they had in their collection was
John Aasen.
film actor and sideshow performer who was one of the tallest actors in
history.Aasen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His mother, Kristi
(Danielsen) from Rollag in Numedal, was an extremely tall Norwegian
woman of around 2.20 m (almost 7 ft 3 inches) in height (latest
information from September 2008, sets her height to 188 cm, almost 6
ft 2 inches). It is not certain who his father was, but according to
Aasen's sister Evelyn (who died in 1988), his father was Alfred Aasen.
When Aasen was ten years old, he and his mother moved from Ridgeway,
Iowa (where his uncle Sam/Sevre lived with his wife Cornelia) to
Sheyenne, North Dakota with his two younger siblings. Aasen was a
Freemason. He raised to the degree of Master Mason at Highland Park
Lodge No. 382, Los Angeles on July 14, 1924.When in Sheyenne, Aasen's
mother operated a restaurant. He attended school and helped out in the
family business. In 1902, Aasen's mother died. He was taken into many
homes and families. When a family he was staying with started to
operate a hotel in Leeds, North Dakota, he moved with them there.
Aasen's growth started slowly. When he was confirmed in the Lutheran
faith in Grandfield Lutheran Church near Sheyenne, North Dakota, he
was the shortest in his class. According to some sources, Aasen was
around 2.74 m or 8 feet, 11½ inches (which, if true, would make him
even taller than Robert Wadlow, the tallest verified person in
history). The Top 10 of Everything 2010 edition states his height at 8
feet, 9.7 inches (2.68 m).According to the 1978 edition of Guinness
World Records he was only 7 feet (213.4 cm). Just before his death, at
age 46, he was medically measured at 7 feet 0.9 inches, however he had
lost some height due to age and could not stand completely straight
anymore. In June 2008, Loma Linda University confirmed that the
7-foot-2.4-inch (219 cm) skeleton they had in their collection was
John Aasen.
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