Angus MacAskill was the world’s strongest and tallest strongman. In 1981, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized him as the strongest man in recorded history and the tallest and largest ‘natural’ giant to ever live. Sometimes genetics are most of the equation and that’s just how it is. In this post you’ll. see because the world strongest man didn’t actually workout. He just worked.
From Average Kid to Towering Giant
Angus MacAskill at 7’9” standing next to a 6’5” tall man (image from Angus MacAskill: The Scottish Giant
Angus MacAskill was born in 1825 in Scotland. He was the fourth of 13 siblings, though many of them never made it past childhood. When he was 6 years old his family migrated to Cape Breton Island, Canada.
Angus wasn’t always the mountain size man we know him as today. He was just an average-sized kid until puberty struck and he grew like a tree.
By the time he hit 20 he was towering over his peers by standing 7 feet 4 inches tall. He didn’t stop there – He kept growing until he reached his peak height of 7 feet 9 inches, making guys like Andre the Giant (6’9”) and Boban Marjanović (7’4”) look small in comparison.
Angus MacAskill’s Physique
Angus was a natural giant (known as a non-pathological giant). Unlike other guys who get close to his size, he didn’t have any glandular conditions or suffer from gigantism. His size was purely genetic. Which is wild because his parents were regular size.
His chest measurement was off the charts. He holds the record for the biggest in recorded history for any non-obese person with a giant barrel chest of 80 inches. Despite being a massive man, Angus was incredibly well-proportioned, just huge. Here are his body measurements:
- Height: 7 ft. 9 inches (2.36m)
- Weight: 510 lbs. (230Kg)
- Shoulders: 44 in. (112 cm)
- Palm: 12 inches long (30.5cm) and 8 inches wide (20.3cm) like a bear paw.
- Wrists: 13.5 inches (34.3 cm)
- Ankles: 18 inches (45.7cm)
Fisherman Turned Superhuman
Before Angus became a living legend, he started out as a humble fisherman at the age of 14. Working on fishing schooners in his village of St. Ann’s, he amazed everyone with his insane feats of strength.
He could carry 350-pound barrels under each arm like they were filled with feathers. He could also lift a massive 2,800-pound ship’s anchor to chest level.
Carried a 60 foot wooden plank weighing roughly 730 pounds over 400 yards.
Word of MacAskill’s extraordinary strength spread like wildfire as he traveled with the fishing schooner. People in neighboring towns and ports couldn’t resist witnessing this guy in action. Eventually, he decided to leave fishing behind and join P. T. Barnum’s circus when he turned 24.
In the circus, MacAskill was paired up with General Tom Thumb, the most famous dwarf in history, who stood at a mere 3 feet 4 inches. They became the ultimate odd couple, touring all around Canada, the US, Britain, Cuba, and the West Indies.
The Gentle Giant MacAskill with Superhuman strength
There are so many stories about Angus MacAskill it’s difficult to differentiate fact from fiction. Here are a few anecdotes as told over the years:
When he was just 12 years old, he already towered over his classmates, earning himself the nickname “Gille Mòr,” which means “Big Boy” in Scottish-Gaelic.
He grew so tall that Angus’s dad had to raise the roof and ceiling of their living room and kitchen.
When Angus was only 14, he got into a rowdy tavern brawl in Sydney. Some jerk kept stepping on his giant foot, trying to push his buttons. After he was stepped on three time MacAskill had enough of that nonsense and he knocked the guy out cold with one punch. His giant fist cracked the guy so hard the whole bar went silent as the man fell to the floor like a rag doll.
MacSkill ran out of the building. Later on, the captain found him praying on the boat, scared that he had taken a man’s life. Thankfully, the guy survived.
MacAskill’s Feats of strength
It’s been said that Angus could lift a fully-grown horse over a 4-foot fence. He threw a 300-pound man over a 10-foot-high wood pile like it was nothing.
Set a 40 foot mass into a schooner ship. Pull the bow off . Lift grindstones weighting over 600 pounds. Carry barrels under each arm weighing 350 pounds each.
At one point, Queen Victoria herself heard about this beast of a man and invited him to perform at Windsor Castle. She was so impressed by his phenomenal strength that she gave him two gold rings as a token of her appreciation.
He held William Wallace’s sword straight out at arms length.
But even the strongest dudes have their limits. While on tour, some French sailors dared Angus to lift an anchor weighing between 2,500 pounds. He actually lifted it and hauled it around over his shoulder. But when he went to set the actor down it slipped and pierced his shoulder. That’s when he decided to retire from the strongman scene.
Angus MacAskill: The Cape Breton Giant Legacy
After hanging up his strongman act, Angus went on to own a gristmill, a general store, and several other businesses. He ran successful businesses and was well liked around town.
In 1863, during a trip to Halifax, Angus fell ill and was brought back to his family in St. Ann’s. A week later, he passed away from brain fever.
His legacy lives on. In 1900, the Nova Scotia government replaced MacAskill’s grave marker as a tribute to his legend. Some of his personal belongings are preserved and displayed at the Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts in Cape Breton.
And to honor the man, his descendants formed the ‘Giant MacAskill Heir’s Association’ in the 1980s and set up the Giant MacAskill Museum in Englishtown that displays replicas of giant items Angus used during his life. They even opened a second museum in Dunvegan, Scotland, showcasing replicated artifacts from the first one.
Local legend
The Municipality of the County of Victoria went all out and named their cable ferry the Angus MacAskill. The ferry ran from 1977 to 2008 between St. Ann Harbor and Jersey Cove, making sure everyone remembered the legend of the ultimate giant strongman.
In 2018, Nimbus Publishing released a book, “A Giant Man from a Tiny Town: A Story of Angus MacAskill”, written by Tom Ryan and illustrated by Christopher Hoyt.
Conclusion
Angus MacAskill remains the strongest man in recorded history and a true legend. His larger-than-life story continues to inspire us to reach new heights and never back down from a challenge.
Angus MacAskill, the gentle giant who dominated the world with his sheer strength and left an unforgettable legacy. He made a small fortune touring the world showing his raw physical power. Thus paving the way for other strongmen like Eugen Sandow and George Hackenschmidt to make a living with muscle and strength displays.
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