Heads up!

Here is a photo of Leonid Stadnik, who lives in Russia, found at usatoday.com. At 8' 5", he is the tallest person in the world. The tallest person in history stood at 8' 11".

Gadi from Los Angeles, CA writes:

Hey, T,

I’m thirteen years old and already I’m about as tall as a house. I hit my head on everything, and I’ve just about had it. As a tall person, how do you cope with the hassle?

T replies:

Sorry to hear that you suffer from excessive height, Gadi. It’s a blessing and a curse, as you know. Yes, I am tall. Six foot seven, to be exact. I’m glad I’m not growing anymore because I don’t think I could stand to be any taller than that.

The only way to cope with the hassle of being extremely tall is to carry on as best you can despite bashing your noggin every now and then. I’ve hit my poor head on more things than I can remember, but one unfortunate incident stands out.

Once, while I was unloading the dishwasher, I left the cupboard door open. I bent down to get a bowl out of the dishwasher, and when I straightened up, I cracked my head open on the cupboard door. There was so much blood I thought I would keel over. It’s not a happy story. Whatever you do, watch your head when you’re around cupboard doors!

UPDATE!

Apparently, Leonid Stadnik declined to be measured again this year, and so the Guinness World Records title of tallest person in the world for 2009 has been bestowed upon Sultan Kosen from Turkey. At 8′ 1″ tall, he is perhaps the only human able to look Leonid Stadnik in the eye.

Photo of 2009 Guinness World Records' tallest person in the world Sultan Kosen (c) AP photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth