Man who had the world's longest nose leaves people baffled as image resurfaces

09 November 2023 , 14:53

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Thomas Wedders had a 19cm nose (Image: @historyinmemes/Twitter)

People have been left with "so many questions" after seeing a waxwork of a British man who holds the Guinness World Record for having the longest nose. Thomas Wedders, from Yorkshire, gained fame in the 18th century for his 19cm (7.5 inches) schnozz, and he's still causing a commotion today after an image of his impressive beak went viral.

Thomas was a travelling circus performer and despite being alive almost 300 years ago, he still holds the record for the longest nose according to the Guinness World Records. But you won't be able to find real pictures of the man's long snout, as the only remaining proof of what his features looked like is in the form of waxwork.

A picture of his waxwork has gone viral (PA)

According to the Daily Star, an extract from The Strand Magazine, Vol. XI, which was released in 1896, said of Thomas' nose: "Thus, if noses were ever uniformly exact in representing the importance of the individual, this worthy ought to have amassed all the money in Threadneedle Street and conquered all Europe, for this prodigious nose of his was a compound of the acquisitive with the martial."

However, the publication also suggested Thomas may not have been particularly smart, as it described his "condition of mind" as one of "abject idiocy". It added: "But either his chin was too weak or his brow too low, or Nature had so exhausted herself in the task of giving this prodigy a nose as to altogether forget to endow him with brains; or perhaps, the nose crowded out this latter commodity. At all events, we are told this Yorkshireman expired, nose and all, as he had lived, in a condition of mind best described as the most abject idiocy."

Meanwhile, the Guinness World Record website states that Thomas lived in England during the 1770s, and although details of his life are unclear, it's believed the circus performer died in Yorkshire in his early 50s.

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A wax figure of Thomas' face can be found in a Ripley's Believe it or Not exhibit, and a photograph taken from the museum recently went viral after it was posted on Reddit. Commenters on the post were left baffled by the man's impressive schnozz, with many saying they had "so many questions" about how his beak became so long.

One person said: "What is actually happening here? Tumour? Growth? Random genetic mishap? Do the nostrils extend all the way to the tip?? I have so many questions," while another added: "They say your brain automatically ignores looking at your own nose but yeah I don't know about that guy."

Zahna Eklund