There Is A New Shortest Man In The World

SOURCE - Guinness World Records has announced that Iran's Afshin Esmaeil Ghaderzadeh has become the world's shortest man as of Tuesday, after measuring 7 centimetre shorter than the previous record holder. Twenty-year-old Afshin Esmaeil Ghaderzadeh is the world's shortest man now, with a height of 65.24 centimetres (2 feet, 1.6 inches).

According to Guinness World Records, he is almost 7 centimetres (2.7 inches) shorter than the previous record holder, 36-year-old Edward "Nino" Hernandez (Colombia). Afshin is the fourth-shortest man ever verified by Guinness World Records.

I've been watching these videos and seeing these pictures and Afshin seems like he is having the time of the life. He has a huge smile and getting the red carpet treatment. Good for him. He's certainly earned it. This looks like obviously a very difficult life even before you find out his own school wouldn't let him enroll and he had to be home schooled. He has only recently learned to write his own name.

Imagine being Edward "Nino" Hernandez, who used to be the shortest man alive. Afshin is three inches shorter than Nino. I'd be so pissed. Now poor Nino is just another short guy. It's not going to have the same ring to say "I used to be the shortest man in the world". You'd have to explain that it's not that you grew but that another shorter guy came along.

I would think being the shortest man in the entire world has it's perks and I hope Afshin can take advantage of all of them. But imagine being 2'9"? That must be awful. You can't drive or use a top loading washing machine. Even using a public bathroom must be impossible. How do you even get the mail?

If I was Afshin, I would do every commercial and take advantage of every single opportunity. But I'd be constantly paranoid that a shorter man is going to come along and take my title. I imagine Nino just sitting on his couch hoping someone else can get the mail while wishing the absolute worst for Afshin so he can get his title back.