Hans Nilson Langseth (July 14, 1846 – November 10, 1927) was a

Norwegian-American Norwegian Americans () are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 milli ...

who held the record for the world's longest

beard A beard is the hair that grows on the jaw, chin, upper lip, lower lip, cheeks, and neck of humans and some non-human animals. In humans, beards are most commonly seen on pubescent or adult males, though women have been observed with beards ...

Biography

Langseth was born in

Eidsvoll Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike Districts of Norway, traditional region. The administrative centre of the munic ...

, Norway, on July 14, 1846, and immigrated to the United States in 1867. He married Anna Berntsen in 1870 and worked as a farmer in Elkton Township, Minnesota. Later on in his life, he began growing a beard as part of a contest, and he won the contest. In his later life, he traveled around the United States as part of a

freak show A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "Freak, freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual Human#Anatomy and physiology, humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, t ...

showing off his beard. Langseth died of complications of old age at age 81 in

Wyndmere, North Dakota Wyndmere ( ) is a city in Richland County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 454 at the 2020 census. Wyndmere was founded in 1883 and named after Windermere in England. It is part of the Wahpeton, ND– MN Micropolitan Statis ...

, on November 10, 1927, and is buried in Elk Creek Church Cemetery in Kensett, Iowa. When he died, his beard measured . It was donated to the Department of Anthropology at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

in 1967.

References

External links

Geiling, Natasha. 2014. The World's Longest Beard Is One of the Smithsonian's Strangest Artifacts. ''Smithsonian'' (November 19).
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Langseth, Hans People from Eidsvoll American circus performers 1846 births 1927 deaths 19th-century circus performers 20th-century circus performers Norwegian emigrants to the United States People from Clay County, Minnesota Farmers from Minnesota

Biography

See also

References

External links