The man credited with the longest beard in history is Norwegian-born Hans Langseth, who died in North Dakota in 1927. When he died, Langseth had a beard that measured a staggering 5.33 metres (that’s 17 feet six inches) but he didn’t take his record-breaking rope of hair – the product of 60 years of growth – to the grave with him. His dying wish was that the beard be preserved for posterity and it’s now stored by the Smithsonian.