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December 22, 2015
The Story Behind the Famous Portrait of André the Giant Clutching a Beer Can
It’s the opening image to an amazing story about one of the largest characters the world has ever known: André Roussimoff, aka André the Giant. The resulting photo makes the beer look so comically small that when the out-of-context image made the rounds on Reddit and Buzzfeed three decades later, many commenters insisted that it must have been a product of Photoshop. But Photoshop didn’t exist until six years after the photo first appeared in Sports Illustrated and more importantly, Roussimoff’s hand was actually that big. The writer who penned the piece, Terry Todd, noted that Roussimoff’s wrists are more than a foot in circumference—“about average for an adult male western lowland gorilla”—and that you can pass a silver dollar through his ring, which would make it around a size 30. | Atlas Obscura
Posted by gerardvanderleun at December 22, 2015 10:29 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
I don't think I'd take him out for drinks.
Posted by: Vermont Woodchuck ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://americandigest.org/sidelines/nav-commenters.gif)
at December 22, 2015 12:31 PM
If you got punched in the face by that fist everybody within 10' of you would get knocked out.
How much does 6 cases of beer cost?
Posted by: ghostsniper at December 22, 2015 4:56 PM
Diameter
Wrestling stats have the wrist measurement at 11", close enough.
Posted by: chuck at December 22, 2015 8:15 PM
We were in an airport waiting area (along with many others) years ago. Little kids would come over to ask for his autographs, and he was invariably pleasant and welcoming.
Posted by: Fausta at December 23, 2015 11:53 AM