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.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso County Historical Society

Reference ID: Tall Man.jpeg

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Report this entry

Choose the most important reason for this report

Your name

Your email address

Optional detail

Thank you for your report

More from the same community-collection

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza is a family-friendly event. One of the largest arts ...

Kidspalooza

Families enjoying themselves at Kidspalooza.

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza is a family-friendly event. One of the largest arts ...

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza is a family-friendly event. One of the largest arts ...

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza is a family-friendly event. One of the largest arts ...

Kidspalooza

Families enjoying themselves at Kidspalooza. Kidspalooza is a ...

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza is a family-friendly event. One of the largest arts ...

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza is a family-friendly event. One of the largest arts ...

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza is a family-friendly event. One of the largest arts ...

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza is a family-friendly event. One of the largest arts ...

Kidspalooza

During the event Kidspalooza - families visited the digital ...

Kidspalooza

During the event Kidspalooza - families visited the digital ...

Kidspalooza

During the event Kidspalooza - families visited the digital ...

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza is a family-friendly event. One of the largest arts ...

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza is a family-friendly event. One of the largest arts ...

Kidspalooza

During the event Kidspalooza - families visited the digital ...

DATAMARK, Inc. Marks 25 Years in Business

Celebrating its 25th year in business in 2015, DATAMARK, Inc. is ...

DATAMARK Overview Video

Founded in El Paso, Texas, DATAMARK began data entry work for ...

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza is a family-friendly event. One of the largest arts ...

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza is a family-friendly event. One of the largest arts ...

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza is a family-friendly event. One of the largest arts ...

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza is a family-friendly event. One of the largest arts ...

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza - dancers performing at the event.

home.search_collection