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AROUND THE WORLD 1: The World's Tallest Man

A Mongolian man has broken the world record for being the tallest man alive. Xi Shun, age 54, from the remote region of Inner Mongolia, was recently measured at 7-feet, 8.95-inches (2-meters, 36.1-centimeters). The current holder of the Guinness World record for the tallest living man, Radhouane Charbib, is 7-feet, 8.9 inches, so Xi Shun is just 0.05 inches taller! Charbib has held the record since 1999.

The new record-holder's mother is only 5-feet, 2-inches tall, while his father is 5-feet, 10-inches in height. According to reports, the new record-holder was a normal height for his age until his mid-teens. At that time he shot up after reaching the age of 16. Doctors have confirmed that his growth was natural, and not the result of a condition such as gigantism, which is caused by too much growth hormone.

A spokesperson for the Guinness World Records stated that to find such a man alive and healthy is a "monumental occasion in record-breaking history."

The tallest man to ever to live, however, was Robert Wadlow. He measured in at a staggering 8-feet, 11.1-inches tall. Born in Alton, Illinois, in 1918, Wadlow was already 7-feet, 4-inches by the age of 13. This earned him the title of the world's biggest Boy Scout.

--Written by Olivia Overman

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Read AROUND THE WORLD 2: Dalai Lama's Birthday