Aurelio "Al" Tomaini (February 25, 1912 – August 30, 1962), was once the world's tallest person. Tomaini claimed a height of 8 feet, 5½ inches. Tomaini was the son of Santo Tomaini and Maria Bossone. At the age of 12, he was taller than his father, who stood 6 feet, 3 inches tall. He had a great-grandfather in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

who was also of abnormal height. His parents consulted a physician who, through the use of X-rays, discovered the cause of his giantism to be an over-active

pituitary gland In vertebrate anatomy, the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland, about the size of a chickpea and weighing, on average, in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. The ...

. Tomaini was a sideshow performer. He was working in a circus at the Great Lakes Exposition in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

in 1943, when he met his future wife, Jeanie Smith. After eloping from the circus, the couple settled in the circus community of Gibsonton,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. There he became active in community affairs. He was owner and operator of Giants Camp lodge and Fish Camp, a television repair shop, and a tourist trailer court. He weighed 357 pounds and wore size 26 shoes. He died in 1962.

References

External links

* *
tomaini.com
People with gigantism 1912 births 1962 deaths Sideshow performers American circus performers People from Long Branch, New Jersey People from Gibsonton, Florida {{US-entertainer-stub