Michel Lotito was no ordinary performer — he was a man who made eating metal, glass, and rubber his lifelong act. Born in Grenoble, France, in 1950, Lotito became famous for doing the impossible: consuming objects never meant to be eaten, including televisions, bicycles, and even an entire airplane.
Michel Lotito at the 1997 London Motorshow.
A Rare Condition That Shaped His Life
Lotito was diagnosed with a condition called pica, which caused him to crave non-food items. But unlike others with the same disorder, Lotito didn’t just nibble on unusual things — he devoured them whole.
He once said,
“I don’t break them, I eat them whole.”
His digestion was just as unique as his diet. Doctors found his stomach lining twice as thick as a normal person’s, allowing him to consume sharp materials without injury.
His Strangest Meal: An Entire Airplane
Perhaps his most bizarre achievement was eating a Cessna 150 aircraft — a feat that took him about two years to complete, from 1978 to 1980. He broke the metal parts into smaller pieces, ate them with oil and water, and made sure to consume every part.
“Some people eat chicken. I eat steel,”
he once joked in an interview.
Michel Lotito biting into a bicycle – Source: Guinness World Records/YouTube
His ability amazed medical professionals, and earned him a place in the Guinness World Records. To verify his record, officials watched him eat items like supermarket carts and television sets under controlled conditions.
A Life Built Around The Impossible
Throughout his career, Michel Lotito consumed over nine tons of metal. He avoided soft foods like bananas and eggs, which he claimed upset his stomach. Ironically, it was the everyday stuff that he couldn’t handle.
“Bananas are too soft. I prefer something with texture,”
he laughed during a 1990s appearance.
Michel Lotito posing with a bicycle tire in his mouth – Source: Guinness World Records/YouTube
He often performed in front of live audiences who watched in disbelief as he calmly chewed on glass or metal. His act was more than shock value — it was a bizarre kind of artistry, blending endurance with a sense of humor.
Legacy of a Human Oddity
Michel Lotito passed away in 2007 at the age of 57. Despite eating objects that would kill anyone else, his death had nothing to do with his unusual diet. To this day, no one has matched his strange and fascinating legacy.
Michel Lotito, often known as “the man who ate a plane,” enjoying a metal meal – Source: Guinness World Records/YouTube
Lotito showed the world that sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction. His life remains one of the most bizarre — yet oddly inspiring — stories of human endurance and individuality.
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ref : allthatsinteresting
