There aren’t many benefits to being a 22-inch-tall person. As the world’s smallest human, you can’t get around very well, you’re not allowed on most amusement park rides, you get picked last for basketball, and most tiny dogs could tear you to pieces. But at least you can be famous, right? Make some money, see the world? Get your name in the history books? Take a hilarious photo standing next to Kareem Abdul Jabbar?
Well, Chandra Bahadur Dangi of Nepal is 22 inches tall (or so he claims), and may very well be the world’s smallest person. But for 72 years, he didn’t try to cash in on it. Only recently did Dangi ask Guinness World Records to verify whether he is officially shorter than the Philippines’ 23.5-inch Junrey Balawing, after some random guy pointed out, hey, um, you’re really freaking short:
Since the village is so remote, it was only recently that Dangi gained notice. A forest contractor cutting timber in the village met him and informed local media after Dangi’s height was measured.
Dangi’s nephew, Dolak Dangi, said that before the contractor’s visit, the family did not know his uncle’s exact height, and that he was shorter than the world’s shortest man.
The family did not know his uncle’s exact height? It sure takes a lot to pique the curiosity of the Dangi clan. “Yeah, I guess Uncle Chandra is kind of on the short side, now that you mention it.”
