( CNN ) -- One stands as tall as a red British phone booth . The other is the height of six stacked cans of baked beans . On Thursday , for the first time , the man with the tallest recorded height in the world and the shortest man in the world met at an event in London , where they posed for photos and stretched for an awkward handshake . The occasion was the 10th annual Guinness World Records Day , which celebrates record-setting achievements around the globe . The Guinness folks flew the two men , Sultan Kosen of Turkey and Chandra Bahadur Dangi of Nepal , to London for the unique photo op . Kosen , 31 , is a part-time farmer who measures 8 feet , 3 inches tall and can reach a basketball hoop without jumping . He became the world 's tallest living man in 2009 , overtaking China 's Xi Shun , who stood a mere 7 feet 9 inches . Dangi , 74 , is just 21½ inches tall and is the shortest adult human ever verified by Guinness World Records . A weaver who also helps look after buffaloes and cows in his remote mountain village of Reemkholi , he weighs just 32 pounds . `` To be able to finally meet Chandra after all this time is amazing , '' Kosen said at the event . `` Even though he is short and I am tall , we have had similar struggles throughout our lives , and when I look into Chandra 's eyes , I can see he 's a good man . '' Kosen also holds the record for largest hands on a living person . His measure 11.2 inches from the wrist to the tip of his middle finger . Thousands of people took part in Guinness World Records events around the world Thursday , with records tumbling in Australia , France , Dubai , China , Germany , Japan , the UK and the United States . In Shanghai , 388 people went for a record for the largest communal breakfast in bed .
For the first time , the tallest recorded man in the world met the shortest man . Sultan Kosen , 74 , is a Nepalese farmer who measures 8 feet , just 21½ inches tall . Nepalese weaver Chandra Bahadur Dangi , 74 , is just 21½ inches tall . The two men met in London for the first annual Guinness World Records Day .