World's Shortest man meets world's tallest man for Guinness World Record Day

  

First time ever: Mr Kosen and Mr Dangi  met to commemorate the 10th annual Guinness World Records Day

 

It was a meeting of epic proportions. 

The world's tallest and shortest men met for the first time this morning to commemorate Guinness World Record Day.

Sultan Kösen, who is 8ft 1in. tall, and Chandra Dangi, who measures just 21.5ins., posed for photos outside the Houses of Parliament to mark the book's 60th anniversary.

The two men join hundreds of others who are taking part in a number of record attempts across the world to celebrate the occasion.

The annual broke a record of its own in 2004 when it became the world's best-selling copyright book. Guinness World Record Day was set up to commemorate the date.

 Mr Dangi, who measures just 22.5 ins, and 8ft 1in tall Mr Kosen, meet in London yesterday

 

Mr Kösen, 31, from Ankara, Turkey, became the world's tallest living man in 2009, when he took the title from 63-year-old Xi Shun, from China, who measured 7 ft 8.95 ins. in 2005.

Mr Kösen, a part-time farmer, was the first man over 8ft to be measured by the company in over 20 years - and one of only 10 people on record to break the height barrier.

Mr Kösen also holds the record for largest hands of a living person, each one measuring 11.22 in from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger.

And he previously held the record for largest feet on a living person, with his left foot measuring 1 ft 2 ins and right foot measuring 1 ft 1.98 ins.

 

 

 

Mr Kosen, pictured with Mr Dangi also holds the record for the largest hands of a living person 

 

Speaking at the time of his entry into the Guinness World Records, he said: 'I never imagined I would be in the book, I dreamed about it, but it was still a huge surprise'.

Mr Dangi, who lives in the isolated Nepalese village of Reemkholi, some 335miles southwest of Kathmandu, is the shortest adult human to have their height verified by Guinness.

At just 21.5ins, Mr Dangi is the same size as six cans of baked beans stacked on top of each other. He beat the benchmark set by Gul Mohammed, from New Delhi, India, who measured 22.5ins.

Three of his five brothers were less than four feet tall, while his two sisters and two brothers are of average height. 

Record-breakers: 373 people dressed as penguins gathered near Tower Bridge to be counted by Guinness

  

 

Charity: The playful record attempt was organised by the Richard House Children's Hospice in London

 

Other world record attempts that are taking place today include the farthest basketball shot backwards and the most people eating breakfast in bed. 

Last night, hundreds of people gathered near London's Tower Bridge to break the record of the largest gathering of people dressed as penguins. 

Organised by the Richard House Children's Hospice, the record breaking charity event was verified by a Guinness World Record official who counted 373 people dressed as the birds.

The previous record was 325 participants.  

The group then waddled around a 2km course taking in sights such as the Tower of London, the Shard, City Hall and Tower Bridge.

Culled from DAILY MAIL