Mills Darden

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A 19th Century photo of a memorial to Darden.

An approximate comparison of Darden and a slightly taller than average male, who is six feet tall.

Mills Darden (October 7, 1799 – January 23, 1857) is alleged to have been one of the largest men in history. He was widely reported to have stood approximately seven and half feet (7' 6") tall and is said to have weighed around 1000 to 1,100 pounds at his heaviest.^{[citation needed]} If the reported figures are correct, Darden was 30 percent taller and about six times as heavy as the average American male of today (see Human).

Mills (or Miles) was born on October 7, 1799, near Rich Square, North Carolina, to John and Mary Darden. He was married at least once and had several children. His wife was 4 feet 1 inches tall which cursed the Darden's to not have a male reach a height above 5'11".

Mills made his living as a farmer and reportedly owned a saloon at some point. There are many tales of his enormous size and strength, although it is difficult to tell whether they are fact or fiction. However, a few cunning villagers measured his weight by marking the exact point his one-horse cart (which had springs) lowered to as he sat on it. Later on, they placed large rocks on the cart to see just how much weight it would take to match Mills sitting on it. Over a thousand pounds, they found out.^{[citation needed]}

Darden died on January 23, 1857. He was buried in Lexington, Tennessee. No known photo remains of him.