Monument to Big Louie, the Copper Country Giant

Hancock, Michigan

Lauri "Big Louie" Moilanen was a Finnish immigrant who still holds the record as Michigan's tallest man. When he died, age 27, in 1913, he was eight feet, three inches tall.

A hundred years later his Michigan hometown decided that Big Louis should have a big monument. A black granite slab -- eight feet, three inches tall -- was erected in front of the town's Finnish American Heritage Center. It lists Louis' vital statistics in both Finnish and English, and serves as a handy size gauge: You Must Be This Tall To Be Big Louie.

At the monument dedication, which was attended by the U.N.'s Finnish Counsul General and many Moilanen relatives, Big Louis was praised for his gentle nature and industriousness. Despite his short life, he held jobs as a circus freak, farmer, miner, saloon keeper, and Hancock's justice of the peace. He was praised as the best bartender Hancock ever had, because he could reach all the bottles without leaving his stool.

After the monument was dedicated, some began questioning its accuracy, claiming that its height was wrong. The argument wasn't settled until 2019, when the grandson of the undertaker who buried Big Louis discovered the written dimensions of Louis' custom-built casket. Its interior length was indeed eight feet, three inches.