World's tallest people: photos and history of record holders since 1900

The world's tallest man and tallest man alive, Sultan Kosen, turns 42 on December 10.

The record holder from Turkey is a staggering 246.5cm tall and his titles have remained unchanged since 2009.

Sultan became the first person taller than 243cm to be recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records in over 20 years, and he has certainly cemented his place in history.

He belongs to a special group of people who at some point in their lives were the tallest of famous people.

Surprisingly, Sultan was of average height until the age of 10, when he suddenly began to grow rapidly. His record height is due to excessive production of growth hormone by the pituitary gland in the brain.

The Sultan gained world fame for his unique height and he spoke about how he wants to do everything possible to popularize his…