The Man with the World’s Longest Beard
My grandmother, Lily Filley, knew Hans Nilson Langseth because he was a friend of the family when she was growing up in Richland County in Southeastern North Dakota. Whenever he visited, everyone was fascinated by his incredible beard. Her brothers and sisters teased her and tried to convince her to touch it, but according to Lily, she was far too shy. Hans smiled and pulled his beard out to its full length for everyone to see. Even when he kindly told her it was perfectly fine to touch it, she politely refused and hid behind her siblings.
Hans Nilson Langseth was born in Norway in 1846 before immigrating to the United States. Like many Norwegian immigrants, he made his home in Minnesota, where he farmed and raised his family. Although he became famous for his beard, he was known as a kind and hardworking man who never forgot his Norwegian roots.
Hans began growing his beard as a young man after entering a beard-growing contest. What started as a fun challenge became something extraordinary. Year after year, his beard grew at an annual rate of 4.5 inches until it became the longest ever recorded.
As his beard grew longer, Hans became something of a celebrity. He traveled to fairs and exhibitions where people paid to see his remarkable facial hair. When he was not showing it off, he carefully wrapped it to keep it clean and protected. Sometimes he tucked it inside his coat or wrapped it around his waist while doing chores on the farm. To wash his beard, he used a curtain stretcher, but found combing difficult. He noted he used to let folks pull his beard in a tug-of-war style, but stopped once it started hurting his neck.
By the time of his death in 1927, Hans’s beard measured an incredible 17 feet and 6 inches long. Knowing how unique it was, he requested that it be preserved rather than buried with him. His beard was carefully cut after his death so that it could be properly measured and protected for future generations.
Today, Hans Nilson Langseth’s beard is preserved at the Smithsonian Institution, where it continues to amaze visitors from around the world. For my grandmother, however, Hans was more than a world record holder. He was a family friend with a gentle smile and a sense of humor who once offered a shy little girl the chance to touch the most famous beard in history. She never did, but she never forgot meeting the legendary bearded Norwegian.
