The 8-Foot Giant Who Once Roamed the Streets of a Tiny Iowa Town

Since the dawn of our history, billions of people have walked the face of our planet. Yet, out of those billions, fewer than two dozen individuals have ever been medically confirmed to cross the staggering threshold of 8 feet tall.

It's an extraordinarily rare club, and one of the most towering members was born and raised right here in the Midwest, in a quiet Iowa community that few (even in Iowa) have ever heard of.

His name was Bernard Coyne, and he entered the world in 1897 in Anthon, a small town in Woodbury County, around 35 miles southeast of Sioux City. To his family and neighbors, Bernard was seen as just a regular kid, except for the fact that he kept growing... and growing... and growing. In fact, Bernard Coyne never stopped growing.

Due to a rare medical condition known as infantile gigantism, Bernard’s body was locked in a state of rapid, continuous growth. While regular school desks and standard doorways quickly became impossible obstacles, the true scale of his height remained a relatively quiet local marvel until a major world event put his name into the official record books and history.

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Credit: Canva

Bernard's historic turning point arrived in 1917. As the United States plunged into World War I, young men across the nation were called to register for military service. Like every other twenty-year-old in the country, Bernard dutifully reported to his local draft board to fill out his registration card.

The scene at the induction center must have been absolute theater. When it came time for the standard physical examination, Bernard stood a staggering 8 feet tall. The military, which had strict maximum height limits for equipment and uniforms, had absolutely no way to accommodate a soldier of his size. The local board had no choice but to officially reject him, marking his file as "physically unfit for service" due to his gigantic stature.

Although the military sent him home, Bernard’s astonishing growth never slowed down. By the time of his tragic and untimely passing in 1921 at just 23 years old, he officially stood at 8 feet tall, but medical experts and reports from the time period approximated Bernard's height at a towering 8 feet 4 inches.

Bernard Coyne was buried in his hometown of Anthon in a custom-built, extra-large casket, requiring a specialized funeral service just to lay him to rest. Today, the modern world has largely forgotten the Anthon Giant, but he remains permanently cemented in history as one of the rarest medical marvels to ever call Iowa home.

To see Bernard's unfathomable height and learn more about his remarkable story, check out the article from We Are Iowa here.

Story Sources: We Are Iowa Website, Bernard Coyne Wiki, Bernard Coyne Guinness World Record Page,