Scientists Left In Awe By Man Who Qualifies As Both A Giant And A Dwarf

Think of genetics like a roadmap: Scientists can look at anyone's genomes and pretty much figure out where they're headed and how they're going to develop. That's what made a man named Adam Rainer so peculiar; his map didn't make sense. Born in Austria in 1899, Rainer was much shorter than the average baby, and doctors diagnosed him with dwarfism. However, when he got older, he went through a growth spurt unlike anything doctors ever saw before. Something was wrong — and experts had no idea if (or when!) he was going to stop growing.

Startling Contrast

Standing on the left? The tallest man in the world at the end of the 19th-century, Adam Ranier. It's almost impossible to believe that, just a few years prior, Adam was barely taller than the man on the right — the world's shortest man.

Adam Rainer

How, the experts wondered, did Adam Rainer seem to stop growing and then just...start all over again. To better understand such an odd case, the experts dug into Adam's entire life. It was like nothing they'd ever seen.

Normal Parents

Adam was born in the town of Graz, which was in Austria. His parents were fairly average in height, without any cases of gigantism or dwarfism in the family.

Accepting The Truth

So, Adam's parents were shocked to learn their son was going to grow to be well below the average height of a normal child. But, like any parent, they accepted the truth with pride.