Story Highlights
- HIstorical event:
- 5 August 1888
- On one occasion Anna visited a traveling circus in which the famous "giant" Martin Van Buren Bates performed. She and "giant" Martin soon allegedly grew fond of each other. They were married in 1871 in London.
On this day died one of the tallest women in history.
Her name was Anna Haining Bates and she was from Canada. Her parents were Scottish immigrants and she was born on the island of Nova Scotia in the far east of Canada.
Apparently, Anna was already on her 11th birthday 185 centimeters tall and weighed 91 kg. Her parents were of medium height, and all of her twelve brothers and sisters were of average height. Anna, on the contrary, grew very quickly while her body stayed in proportion. It is considered that her maximum height was about 227 centimeters, with a weight which varied between 159 and 187 kg.
Anna was considered to be very intelligent, she played the piano and was interested in acting and singing. On one occasion Anna visited a traveling circus in which the famous “giant” Martin Van Buren Bates performed. The circus promoter recognized what kind of sensation such a pair could be, so he immediately hired Anna. She and “giant” Martin got to know each other and soon allegedly grew fond of each other. He was about 236 centimeters tall, i.e. 9 centimeters taller than her. They were married in 1871 in London during the circus tour across Europe. This marriage was a sensation and they even received wedding presents from British Queen Victoria.
The two of them later left the circus and settled on a farm in the United States. Anna gave birth to two children, but they died shortly after birth. On this day Anna died, just one day before her 42nd birthday. She and her husband are buried in Seville in the American state of Ohio.
