death_date death_place birth_place birth_date image article_title name
26 february 1981 chicago , illinois denton , montana september 1 , 1925 don koehler.jpg don koehler
 donald a. koehler
don koehler

donald a. koehler -lrb- september 1 , 1925 -- february 26 , 1981 -rrb- is one of 17 known people in medical history to reach a height of 8 feet -lrb- 2.44 m -rrb- or more .
he was generally recognized as the tallest man in the world from at least 1969 until his death in 1981 .
at one time , koehler stood 249 cm -lrb- 8 ' 2 '' -rrb- tall , a result of the medical condition acromegalic gigantism .
he was born in denton , montana , usa .
koehler and his twin sister were born to parents of above average height -lrb- their mother was 178 cm -lrb- 5 ' 10 '' -rrb- , their father was 188 cm -lrb- 6 ' 2 '' -rrb- -rrb- .
he started an abnormal period of growth when he was 10 years old .
the guinness book of world records confirmed koehler at a standing height of 249 cm -lrb- 8 ' 2 '' -rrb- in tall at his peak .
his twin sister was 175 cm -lrb- 5 ' 9 '' -rrb- for a record difference of 74 cm -lrb- 29 '' -rrb- between the two twins as recognized by guinness .
as a youth , koehler lived with his family on the north side of chicago , attending amundsen high school .
he did some work for local auto dealer jim moran , demonstrating the spaciousness of the hudson motor car company 's so-called `` step down design '' , at least at the annual chicago auto show , but he was bothered too much by doubters who were sure he was on stilts and set out to prove it with ladies ' hatpins .
he was approached by abe saperstein , owner and coach of the harlem globetrotters , a professional novelty basketball team that toured the world ; he was to be a player with the team , but declined the offer .
he found instead a job that allowed him to lead a more normal life as a salesman for big joe hydraulic lifts .
granted , he was billed as their biggest salesman , but it was a job that spared him from living in any `` freak show business '' .
later in life , he suffered from the medical condition kyphosis , resulting in -lrb- often severe -rrb- curvature of the spine .
koehler died in 1981 in chicago from a reported heart condition , by which time he was estimated to be about 239 cm -lrb- 7 ' 10 '' -rrb- tall .
he was 55 years old .
