36. HENRI COT, THE FRENCH GIANT
Henri Joseph Cot was born on 30 January 1883 in the village of La Cros in the Aveyrnon district of France, the seventh and youngest child in a poor farmer’s family. At the age of eight, he began to grow in an alarming manner. At the age of 16, he was more than six feet four inches (193cm) tall, and when he was called up for the army at the age of 20, he was more than seven feet six inches (229cm) tall,Tallest Army Recruit in France” and there was a good deal of newspaper publicity about him. His parents and siblings were all of normal stature. Henri was a friendly, affable man, who was popular among the villagers of La Cros; he was famous for his great strength, and could pick up a donkey and carry it around the village on his shoulders, just for the fun of it. A postcard was printed to celebrate “le plus grand conscrit de France” as early as 1904.
