Angus MacAskill, The Strongest Man Who Ever Lived
The massive Canadian awed people during his lifetime with his amazing size and strength
At 7'9" and 510 pounds, Angus MacAskill was a veritable mountain of a human being. Living in the 19th century, he gained a widespread reputation not only for his size but also for his unbelievable strength. His life was filled with anecdotes and accomplishments that spoke to his incredible muscle, which was enough to lead to him being posthumously recognized by The Guinness Book of World Records as the strongest man who ever lived.
Born in Scotland in 1825, he and his family moved to Cape Breton in Canada when he was around the age of six. One of 13 children in the family, including several who died early in life, he was said to have been a baby of a normal size.
Although MacAskill was an average size child and his parents weren’t particularly large (his father Norman was around 5'9”), he began to grow like a weed as he entered adolescence. By the time he was 20, he had reached the height of 7 ‘4,” topping out at 7’9” a couple of years after that. As a young man, he weighed approximately 510 pounds, adding on more weight as he progressed into life. What was most remarkable about him was that he did not suffer from gigantism or any glandular abnormality. It is thus believed that he was the tallest ever non-pathological giant in recorded human history.
It wasn’t just that he was tall. He was truly massive in all regards. His chest measurements of 80 inches remain the largest ever for any male who was not obese. Because of how he stood out, he earned several nicknames from his community, including “Gille Mor” (Big Boy), “Giant MacAskill” and The Cape Breton Giant.”
Then there was the unusual strength of MacAskill, which was so great that during his life there was an ongoing accumulation of stories attesting to his brute brawn.
When he was 14, he was working on a fishing vessel when his fellow sailors decided to have a lark and brought him to a dance. Accosted by a man at the party, the growing boy lashed out and punched him in the jaw — sending him sprawling unconscious among the revelers. The man failed to regain consciousness after some time, causing a nearly hysterical MacAskill to go back to his boat where his captain found him fervently praying on his knees for murder charges to not be necessary (his tormentor survived).
With his strength becoming more widely known, the stories began piling up. As an adult, he was said to be able to lift a ship’s anchor, weighing approximately 2,800 pounds up to his chest. He could pick up around 250 pounds using only three fingers. Another trick witnesses claimed was his ability to pick up a barrel under each arm — each weighing around 350 pounds — and carry them around. One of his most incredible feats was picking up a fully grown horse and lifting it over a four-foot fence.
Despite his inordinate strength, MacAskill was actually considered to be mild mannered and soft spoken. He was noted for a soft, lyrical voice that didn’t quite fit his massive frame.
Being really, really strong has its benefits, but the best way at the time for him to take advantage of it was to put himself on display as a “freak” for gawking spectators to see for themselves. MacAskill joined up with P.T. Barnum’s circus in 1849 and quickly became a success. Performing with the likes of the 3'4” General Tom Thumb, he traveled the world and met many people. After a successful demonstration of strength in front of Queen Victoria of England, the monarch presented him with two gold rings in appreciation of his ability.
During his off-time from traveling with the circus, he went back home to his village of Englishtown and worked in the fishing industry. He wowed the fishermen by tipping full boats on their side to empty the bilge water, and also by carrying mammoth anchors down the pier like they were nothing. Unfortunately, during one instance of moving an anchor, it dug into his shoulder and gave him an injury he never fully recovered from.
Once he was done in show business, he went back home to Englishtown with a good-sized nest egg and operated various businesses, including a general store and a grist mill. In particular, customers of his store enjoyed buying fistfuls of tea, which he grabbed himself and sold as being a pound. However, with his enormous hands, the actual quantity was most likely much more.
Sadly, his death came quickly and unexpectedly. In 1863, when he was around 38, he sailed for Halifax on business. Before he reached his destination, he became very sick and upon being seen by a doctor was diagnosed with a brain fever. After lingering for a week, he passed away.
Being larger than life when he lived, MacAskill has remained in the public consciousness in death. There is a museum in Nova Scotia dedicated to him and in 1981 the Guinness Book of World Records formally recognized him as the tallest non-pathological giant who ever lived. Given all of the incredible stories and reputation of the big man, it’s a certain that his legacy will carry on.
