(Photo: North Dakota State University Archives)
This is Hans Langseth (1846-1927) of North Dakota. He was one of the beardiest men who ever lived. When he died, his beard was the longest in the world at 17 feet and 6 inches.
(Photo: Smithsonian Institutional Archives)
Langseth began growing his beard at the age of 19 for a beard competition. He then kept it for the rest of his life. After his death, his beard eventually ended up in the Smithsonian Institution, where it remains to this day. With different colors from different stages of his life and wheat kernels from his days as a farmer, the beard is an organic record of Langseth’s life. If there's a facial hair equivalent of dendrochronology, then Langseth's beard provides the most remarkable sample. You can see more photos at Smithsonian magazine.
-via Incredibeard