He Pingping The smallest man in the world Date of Birth: 13.06.1988 Country: China

The Smallest Man in the World

According to the Guinness World Records, Pingping was the smallest man in the world. Standing at only 73 cm (2 feet 5 inches) tall, he held the title for being the shortest person on the planet. Pingping was born on June 13, 1988, in Huade, a city in Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region in northern China. He was the third child in his family, with two sisters who were of normal height and are now married. At birth, Pingping was so small that he could fit in the palm of his parents' hands and weighed no more than 500 grams. In his early years, he had to be fed milk through a thin straw because his mouth was also extremely small for normal feeding. He began speaking and walking around the age of 3-4. By the time he reached adulthood, Pingping's height had stopped at around 73-74 cm, and his weight did not exceed 7 kilograms. When it became apparent that he was growing very slowly, doctors discovered that Pingping had a bone deformity and diagnosed him with osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disorder that hinders normal bone and overall body growth. In the end, doctors narrowed down two possible reasons for Pingping's unusually low height. Either he suffered from dwarfism, where his affected endocrine glands caused his abnormally low growth. In this case, men typically reached a height of around 130 cm, and women reached 120 cm. Or Pingping had a specific genetic mutation. Regardless, no one could help him grow taller. In January 2007, Pingping was invited to participate in a television program in Tokyo, which made him a cult figure in the online space. Interestingly, his native Inner Mongolia was also home to Bao Xishun, a Mongolian herdsman who held the Guinness World Record for being the tallest person on the planet (2.36 meters) until September 2009. In May 2008, Pingping appeared in a documentary project titled "The World's Smallest People and Me" hosted by Mark Dolan for the British Channel 4. On September 16 of the same year, Pingping had a historic meeting with Svetlana Pankratova, the record holder for the longest legs (132 cm), on the steps of Trafalgar Square in London. In 2006, a 14-year-old Nepalese boy named Khagendra Thapa Magar was not included in the Guinness World Records. Despite his incredibly short height of 53 cm, he had to wait until he reached adulthood. Another contender for the new record of short stature was Yunis Edwan from Jordan, but he never underwent an official measurement by Guinness World Records representatives. After Pingping appeared on television in January 2007, he had to officially confirm his height and the right to be called the smallest person in the world. For this, his height was measured three times within ten hours, and he was issued a certificate that officially recorded Pingping's record. In March 2010, while filming a television program in Rome, he fell ill, experienced chest pain, and was taken to the hospital. However, the doctors were unable to save him, and he died on March 13 from heart complications at the age of 21. Craig Glenday, the editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records, said that despite his small stature, Pingping had a tremendous impact and could inspire anyone who considered themselves unique and different from others.