Small bodies, big lives: the history of the lightest people ever, weighing roughly 20 lb
Throughout history, the public has held a curiosity about the capabilities of the human body.
And since Guinness World Records was founded in the 1950s, we have recognized thousands of diverse and exciting circumstances that make our planet – and the people within it – Officially Amazing.
Spanning from historical titles to active records, the variety of their talents and circumstances have enriched our knowledge of the Earth, and we continue to learn from them everyday.
Of these accomplished individuals, one distinct subsection are the record holders who held the title as the lightest person of their day – a variegated group that came from all corners of the globe.
Perhaps the most notable among them was Lucia Xarate (Mexico) (1863–89), who found fame in her lifetime within the exploitative yet lucrative circus sideshow business.
Image credit: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Standing at just 67 cm (26.8 in), Lucia was born in San Carlos Chachalacas, Mexico, before her affluent family moved to Zempoala in modern-day Veracruz.
At birth, Lucia weighed just 1.1 kg (2.8 lb), and doctors were surprised to see her survive as a relatively healthy adult. Nowadays, we know that she was the first-ever person known to be diagnosed with Majewski osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II – a disease that also impacted her younger brother Manuel – though this discovery was made posthumously in the 1980s.
By the time Lucia turned 17, she weighed just 2.13 kg (4.7 lb), and was already touring around the USA after catching the attention of locals and physicians. She had moved at the age of 12, and later exhibited internationally, drawing large crowds despite her small stature.
Not many of her words survive, yet given her young age, it would be hard to imagine that she had much autonomy in her life. After performing with the “fairy sisters”, she had caught the attention of P.T. Barnum – of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus – and he soon had her appearing on his vaudeville circuit now pejoratively known as a “freak show.”
Lucia did accrue significant wealth while performing, however, and she continued to tour into her 20s while sending money back home to her family in Mexico. At that time, she weighed 5.9 kg (13 lb), which is roughly half the size of a gold bar.
Tragedy befell her, unfortunately, when she turned 26 – though it was completely unrelated to her size.
While on a railway in January 1890, an intense blizzard swept through San Francisco, California, stalling the train in a remote area inaccessible to snowplows or medical care. Lucia was one of many passengers who fell ill during the entrapment, perhaps due to gastritis or exposure, and she died around two weeks later.
She was laid to rest in Mexico, alongside her younger brother Manuel, and her home is now a museum for those interested in her life story and legacy.
Read more stories like this in our dedicated Human Body section!
Nevertheless, Lucia wasn’t the only person to carry the mantle as the lightest person on Earth.
In August 1825, the bicep measurements of Claude-Ambroise Seurat (France, 1797-1826) was reportedly just 10 cm (4 in), while the distance between his back and his chest was less than 7.6 cm (3 in).
According to one account, he stood at just 1.71 cm (5 ft 7.5 in) and weighed 35 kg (78 lb), but in another he was described as 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) and only 16 kg (36 lb).
And a few decades later, Edward C. Hagner (USA, 1892-1962) – alias Eddie Masher, or “the Skeleton Dude” – was alleged to have weighed only 22 kg (48 lb) at a height of 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in).
American exhibitionist Rosa Lee Plemons (b.1873) was also recorded to have weighed 12 kg (27 lb) at the age of 18.
And in July 1977, the death was reported of an 83-year-old woman in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, UK who reached only 15 kg (33 lb) on the scale, with an unmentioned height.
That said, the lightest-recorded adults with normal heights are often those diagnosed with Simmonds’ Disease (Hypophyseal cachexia).
Losses of up to 65% of the original bodyweight have been recorded in women, with a 'low' of 20 kg (45 lb) in the case of Emma Shaller (USA, 1868-1890), who stood 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in).
And as is the case with all individuals, particularly those impacted by their physique, it is important to treat them with the utmost respect – as we are only defined by the limits of our minds, and not our stature.
Header image: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images