Did you know, that the smallest person in Russia was 63cm tall and weighed 24kg? Today we will tell you about Konstantin Morozov.
Our hero was born in 1937 in Sara, Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia. He was born with a rare genetic disorder – chondrodystrophy, i.e. instead of hard bones, there were only soft cartilages, like a newborn. No one thought that the baby will live, as he weighed only 300g. People were afraid to take him on their hands, as he might get hurt. The doctors did not give any hope of him living, and even offered to keep him in a jar of alcohol for further studies. Luckily, the parents refused. Slowly, but Kostya was growing. Dad made him a smaller cradle, the size of a primer.
This unusual little man grew up, went to school for some time, but the teachers couldn’t bear it. They were reacting too emotionally to him – they felt sorry for him and cried. Well and the children, of course, were distracted. As a result, he graduated secondary school as an extern. Despite the physical limitations, Konstantin was an active person, liked to do many things with his hands and was mentally developed.
He learned to read, sew, repair, including electronics by himself. On his own, he created devices, most of all means of transportation, to make life easier. For example, the bicycle on this photo is his last creation. He was also engaged in art and creativity: he composed ditties, a stage on which he played himself, made parodies, and wasn’t shy to sing. He learned to play musical instruments: guitar, harmonica, balalaika.
At the age of 21, our hero decided to move out to a boarding school for disabled. Morozov didn’t want to be a burden to his family. Besides, he was tired of being pointed at by people everywhere, and even his neighbors avoided him. But even in the new place, the guy didn’t lose his head, edited wall newspapers and got engaged in amateur activities.
Here he met his future wife Lida. He was 33. The shy man didn’t immediately open up in his feelings, that’s why the girl was the one to do the first step. He even heard the marriage proposal from her. By the way, Konstantin was repairing watches and made good profit from it.
The lovers got married, bought a room in one of the houses in the village and moved to there. In fact, in the late 80s they returned to the boarding school and spent the rest of their lives there. Over the years, the wife’s health deteriorated. She passed away in 2000. Nine years later died Kostya the Gnome himself (that’s what he was called in society). He was 73.
About his fate, Konstantin himself said the following: “Yes, I don’t grumble at my fate! Could’ve been kept in a jar. So, if only you put me on the floor…I feel like a fish in water there. I’ve worked all my life. No one can accuse me of being a national freeloader”.
