Tallest Couple In The World & Tragic Story Of Their Family

Anna Haining Swan was born in 1846 in Nova Scotia, Canada. She was the third-born in her family. While all of her siblings have an average height, she stood out with a special feature.

Anna was more than 2,1m tall and 100kg heavy when she was 15. Meanwhile, her feet were 34cm long which can be considered a massive size.

A giant since birth

In fact, the woman already had an impressive weight, 8,2 kg. However, during the childhood days, she had a normal height and a balanced body figure. It was until her puberty period that she became excessively lofty. At the age of 17, she reached 2,3 meters. Some sources claimed that Anna was around 2,43m when she hit maturity.

Anna Swan was amazing at literature and music. She was said to be a very intelligent and swift girl. Moreover, she owned a beautiful singing voice, an enviable acting prowess, and piano playing skill.

In 1865, she encountered a fire on her visit to the Barnum Museum. It set the steps on fire and everyone was jumping through the window for their life. However, the window was too small for Anna. When she thought her life was going to end there, the museum staff and 18 other people managed to take her to the lobby.

Her life was not only famous for her unique height but also for her marriage with a man who was only a tad bit shorter than her. Her husband was Martin Van Buren Bates who was around 2,41m tall.

Similar to Anna, he was also called a giant or a mutant for his height. As Martin reportedly did not want his wife to be taller, he usually lied that Anna’s height was only 2,2m.

How they became the tallest couple in the world

Martin was born in 1837 in Kentucky, the US. All his family members including him had a normal size. Things started to change when he hit puberty. In World Guinness Record Book and other reliable sources, his height and weight were 2,32m and 176kg respectively.

He witnessed the change in his body from the age of 6 to 7. He exceeded 2,1 m before his 14th birthday. At first, he worked as a teacher but then joined the army as a private when the Civil War happened. (1861-1865)

Martin used to be a popular captain in the army. The soldiers passed on the story of a man who was as tall as five men in total and had the strength of 50 men.

After the war ended, Martin moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and joined a circus. He showcased his unordinary body figure to attract the audience.

Destiny brought Anna and Martin together when the latter’s circus did a tour around Canada. As it stopped where Anna worked, the owner wanted to recruit Anna as soon as he saw her. It was this man who did the matchmaking for the tallest couple in the world.

The two quickly fell for each other and got married in 1871. Only one year later, they bought a 52ha land and built their own home. Their house was also giant with a massive interior and doors that were around 2,6m tall.

Their tragic ending

The tallest couple in the world had two children. The first kid graced the world in 1872 but passed away only a few hours after the birth. In 1879, Anna gave birth to her second child in Ohio. Her contractions lasted more than 36 hours.

The kid was recorded as the biggest infant in the world. The child was 9,98kg heavy, 71cm tall, and foot size of 15,2cm. Sadly, the tallest couple in the world’s kid also passed away 11 hours later.

After the demise of their two children, Martin and Anna were in agony. They did not even try to do anything more. The two retired and lived a low-key life in their house and tried to forget the saddening memories. In 1888, Anna passed away in her sleep.

Larter, the husband bought a statue of Anna and placed it in front of her grave. Martin also sold the big house and moved to live in town. In 1897, he got married again to a woman of normal size. He lived a peaceful life until 1919 when he bid adieu to the world.

Up until now, Anna Haining Swam and Martin Van Buren Bates are still known as the tallest couple in the world. Their marriage may have grief and loss but was also happy in its own way.

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