Winnie Johnson “The Largest Human On Earth, or Ever Was On Earth”
Winnie was advertised as the “largest human on earth, or ever was on earth.” Born a slave in 1839, Winnie was raised in Henry County, Kentucky and up until the year 1885 had never traveled more than about 8 miles from home. When Winnie, still a slave, was married and became “Winnie Johnson” she weighed a very normal 125 pounds. But by the time she was 28 years old she was up to 336 pounds and by 35, she reached 401 pounds. At the age of 36 she was 511 pounds and by 42, she weighed 635 pounds. By this time Winnie’s size left her little choice but to sit and sleep on the floor.
In mid January of 1884, when Winnie was 44 years old, she was left sitting in her house while her sons went out hunting. Their trip took longer than expected and by the time they returned, their mother’s thighs had froze to the floor. A doctor Jones, of Bethleham, in Henry County, had to surgically remove 7 pounds of Winnie’s damaged flesh. That incident didn’t slow her down a bit, and by the age of 46 Winnie hit 707 pounds On January 1, 1887 she weighed a massive 733 pounds. At that time she was 5 feet 8 1⁄2 inches tall and measured 8 feet 10 inches around. Her arm was 30 1⁄2 inches around with her thigh being 53 inches and her calf measuring 30 inches around.
Winnie was considered an extraordinary exhibit and was able to command a salary 5 to 10 times the amount of a regular run of the mill fat lady. Museum operators were paying as much as $300 per week for her services. She was so popular there would be a steady flow of customers for weeks.
Winnie’s career came to an end on September 4, 1888. At the time of her death at age 49 she weighed an incredible 850 pounds. She most likely was the largest human on earth, for her time. Coincidently, at that same time, another Kentucky native by the name of John Hansen Craig, was rapidly closing in on Winnie’s record. He would eventually top out at 907 pounds, exceeding Winnie by over 50 pounds and taking claim to being “the heaviest man alive.” Certainly another proud moment in history for the state of Kentucky.
About a year before her death, Winnie was exhibiting for T. A. Johnson of Johnson’s Museum, in Baltimore. She was billed as “The Greatest Freak and Curiosity on Earth.” For a mere 10 cents, with children being encouraged to also attend at the discounted price of a nickel, everyone could take advantage of this rare opportunity to see “Big Winnie Johnson.”
