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Hans Langseth

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Hans Langseth
Hans Langseth c. 1912
Born
Hans Nilson Langseth

(1846-07-14)July 14, 1846
DiedNovember 10, 1927(1927-11-10) (aged 81)
Burial placeElk Creek Church Cemetery
OccupationFarmer
Known forLongest beard
SpouseAnna Berntsen

Hans Nilson Langseth (July 14, 1846 – November 10, 1927) was a Norwegian-American who held the record for the world's longest beard.[1]

Biography

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Langseth was born in Eidsvoll, Norway, on July 14, 1846, and immigrated to the United States in 1867. He married Anna Berntsen in 1870 and worked as a farmer in Elkton Township, Minnesota. Later on in his life, he began growing a beard as part of a contest, and he won the contest.[2] In his later life, he traveled around the United States as part of a freak show showing off his beard.[3]

Langseth died aged 81 in Wyndmere, North Dakota, on November 10, 1927, and is buried in Elk Creek Church Cemetery in Kensett, Iowa.[4] When he died, his beard measured 5.33 meters (17.5 ft).[5][6] It was donated to the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution in 1967.[7][8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Longest beard – male". Guinness World Records. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  2. ^ "The longest beard in history is 17 feet 6 inches long and its proud owner ended up joining the circus". The Vintage News. March 12, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  3. ^ Parker, Mike (1983). The World's Most Fantastic Freaks. London: Octopus Publishing Group. p. 96. ISBN 9780706419399.
  4. ^ "Longest Whiskers". The Greene Recorder. November 23, 1927. p. 7. Retrieved January 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ Glendrange, Sølvi (November 12, 2003). "Rekord for rekordbok". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Labrador CMS.
  6. ^ Ferry, Peter (2020). Beards and Masculinity in American Literature. New York: Routledge. p. 12.
  7. ^ Warren, Michael W.; Walsh-Haney, Heather A.; Freas, Laurel (May 9, 2008). "History and Collections of the Division of Physical Anthropology". In Hunt, David R. (ed.). The Forensic Anthropology Laboratory. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. p. 155. ISBN 9781420004021.
  8. ^ "Are beards good for your health?". BBC News. January 20, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
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