Robert Wadlow

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Wadlow at 10
Wadlow at 10

Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 – July 15, 1940), according to Guinness World Records, is the tallest person in medical history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. He is often known as the Alton Giant. Wadlow reached an unprecedented 8 feet 11.1 inches (2.72 m) in height and weighed 440 pounds (199 kg) at his death. His great size and his continued growth in adulthood were due to a tumor within his pituitary gland. He showed no indication of an end to his growth even at the time of his death.

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[edit] Early life

Wadlow was born to Harold Franklin and Addie (Johnson) Wadlow (in Oslo) on February 22, 1918, at the weight of 8 pounds 6 ounces (3.8 kg) and normal height. He was the oldest of five children; his younger siblings were Helen Ione, Eugene Harold, Betty Jean, and Harold Franklin II. His height increased normally until he was four years old. He then started attracting attention due to his rapid growth. By the age of eight, he was 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall. At 10, he was 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) and 220 pounds (100 kg). At the age of 13, he became the world's tallest Boy Scout at the height of 7 feet 4 inches (2.24 m), averaging a growth of 4 inches per year since birth; at that time he wore size 25 (U.S.) shoes.[1]


At 16, Wadlow was 7 feet 10.5 inches (2.40 m) tall and weighed 365 pounds (166 kg). At 17, he weighed nearly 400 pounds (180 kg) and was 8 feet 1.5 inches (2.48 m) tall. By age 18, Wadlow had grown to be 8 feet 4 inches (2.54 m) and weighed more than 390 pounds (177 kg); his shoes were widely reported to be size 37AA shoes, but they measured about 18 1/2 inches long, which correlates to an actual size of 29 or 30 (see Matthew McGrory). His shoes still exist in several locations throughout the US, including the Robert Wadlow Museum in Alton, Ill., where they can be measured. They were provided to him free of charge by a shoe company he did promotional work and appearances for. In 1936, after graduating from Alton High School, he enrolled in Shurtleff College with the intention of studying law. By 1937, Wadlow had exceeded all previous recorded human heights. At 19, he was 8 feet 6 inches (2.60 m) and weighed 435 pounds (197 kg). On his 21st birthday he attained his greatest weight of 491 pounds (223 kg). By this time, his hands measured 12.75 inches (324 mm) from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger.

[edit] Later years and death

Wadlow's size began to take its toll: he required leg braces to walk, and had little feeling in his legs and feet. When Robert was 21, he reached 8 feet 8½ inches (2.65 m) tall. On June 27, 1940 (eighteen days before his death), he was measured at 8 feet 11.09 inches (2.72 m) by doctors C. M. Charles and Cyril MacBryde of Washington University in St. Louis.

In his time, Wadlow was among the most popular of American celebrities; he was well-known due to his 1936 U.S. tour with the Ringling Brothers Circus and his 1938 promotional tour with the INTERCO. He continued participating in various tours and public appearances.

On July 4, 1940 while making a professional appearance at the National Forest Festival a faulty brace irritated his ankle, causing a blister and subsequent infection. Doctors treated him with a blood transfusion and emergency surgery, but his condition worsened and on July 15, 1940, he died in his sleep. He was only 22.

An estimated 40,000 people attended Wadlow's funeral on July 19. He was buried in a half-ton coffin that required 12 pallbearers to carry, which was interred within a vault of solid concrete. It was believed that Wadlow's family were concerned for the sanctity of his body after his death, and went to these lengths of security to ensure he would never be disturbed or stolen. His gravestone simply reads, "At Rest."

[edit] Today

Robert Pershing Wadlow compared with a 6 foot man, at Bristol Zoo, England
Robert Pershing Wadlow compared with a 6 foot man, at Bristol Zoo, England

In 1985, a life-size bronze statue of Wadlow was erected at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Dental Medicine. To this day he is still affectionately known as the "Gentle Giant."[1]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Colombraro, Rosemarie (2007). "The World's tallest Boy Scout". Boys' Life Feb 2007: 24-25. 

[edit] Further reading

  • The gentleman giant; the biography of Robert Pershing Wadlow. 1944. Frederic Fadner, assisted by Harold F. Wadlow. Boston, B. Humphries, Inc.
  • Looking back and up: At Robert Pershing Wadlow, the gentle giant. 1993. Sandra Hamilton. Alton Museum of History and Art.
  • Boy Giant. 2003. Dan Brannan. Alton Museum of History and Art.

[edit] External links

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