According to The Guinness Book of Records, Bao Xishun is officially the world's tallest man. The 7'9" Chinese man earned that title by default as the actual tallest man in the world, 8' 9" Ukranian Leonid Stadnyk, has shunned all publicity and refuses to be measured. In guess one man's shame is another's pride. While Stadnyk is so distressed about his appearance that he refuses to even look in a mirror, 60-year-old Xishun has used his notoriety to find a wife.

After broadcasting his desire to marry with advertisements around the world, Xishun eventually found true love with a girl from his own hometown. Last year, he married 5'6" Xia Shujuan in a traditional Mongolian ceremony that was heavily sponsored by companies hoping to cash in on his fame. 29-year-old Xia insists it was love, not fame, that drew her to her husband. "You need to have feelings for someone to be in love. Even if he is a big shot, you can't love him without feelings", she said. Or in this case, maybe a ladder as well.

Despite the difference in heights, they are both walking tall now as they await the birth of their first child. Xishun is hoping the kid will be tall, but not that tall. "I hope he or she can be about 2 meters tall.' he said last year. "'Then he or she can play basketball." For those of you who are metric-impaired like myself, 2 meters is just over six feet - downright short compared to daddy.