Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) and borther Daniel Maslany (Murdoch Mysteries)
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Born in Nova Scotia in 1846, Anna Swan quickly outgrew her peers. She stood over 5 feet tall by the time she started school, and she reached nearly 8 feet in height by adulthood.
Her unusual stature drew uncomfortable stares, but also the attention of well-known showman P.T. Barnum. The only known giantess is the world at the time, Anna toured with Barnum for years, an opportunity that provided her with $1,000 per month, a private tutor, and lavish, oversized living quarters.
In 1871, Anna met and fell in love with American giant Martin Van Buren Bates (pictured here, alongside Anna and an average-sized man). Queen Victoria took a special interest in their courtship, and at her offering, the pair wed at the Royal Parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, in London.
The couple later settled in Ohio, residing in a specially built home with 14-foot ceilings and custom- sized furnishings. Though Anna gave birth to two children, both were abnormally large, and neither survived. Anna died of tuberculosis in 1888.
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