Anna Haining Bates (Neé Swan)

Anna Haining Bates (1846-1888) stood 7’11” (2.41m) tall by the time she stopped growing. Her parents were Scottish immigrants and stood average height. Her husband, Martian, stood an immense 7’9”. They had a baby, unnamed, but he was 2’4” (77cm) at the time of his birth but, unfortunately, died 11 hours later. They had a house designed for their size and Anna was put in a circus.

She almost died in a house-fire because she was too tall to get out the window. She was later rescued by firefighters. Anna died in her sleep aged 41 due to unexpected heart failure.