Jake Erlich - Tallest Man In The World
Jake Erlich - Tallest Man In The World
Many of us know of Erlich as the “world’s tallest man,” as the Guinness Book of Records once deemed him. He was also an extraordinary artist. But his fame as a painter was overshadowed by his fame for being more than eight feet tall.He was born in Denver, Colorado, in 1906, the son of Jewish immigrants. He was born at a weight of less than four pounds. Jacob was small for his age, until he reached his seventh birthday. By the time he was ten, he was over six feet tall. His family lived in El Paso, Texas at this time and the locals nicknamed him "Pecos Bill" (a title he used for over twenty years.) Erlich, who lived much of his life in El Paso , was a movie star featured in several silent films, and he also was a circus performer for several years. Also, Erlich is an El Paso High graduate. But Erlich was famous mainly for being taller than everyone else. In fact, he was once named the "Tallest Man in the World," standing, by most accounts, at 8 feet, 6 inches tall. Jake Erlich died in 1952 at the age of 46 in El Paso. To the left of Jake Erlich in the middle is Hope M. Smith - who was owner of Magnolia Coke Cola Company in El Paso, Texas.
Report this entry
More from the same community-collection
"Seasons of the Sun" - El Paso, Texas
This sculpture is made by the El Pasoan muralist Carlos Callejo ...
Mural "Our History" in County Courthouse
The image shows part of the mural in the atrium of the County ...
"Shining Desert Suns: Giver and Taker of Life" - El Paso, Texas
The ball by Susan Klahr is titled "Shining Desert Suns: Giver ...
Recreation Area in Front of Main Library
The picture shows the recreation area in front of the Public ...
The Bert Williams Downtown Santa Fe Transfer Center
This new bus terminal is called The Bert Williams Downtown Santa ...
Border Youth Bus by Grave Herrera, Jeri Navarro and Dekan Ortega
This bus was decorated for the Chalk the Block festival in 2011. ...
