Robert Wadlow

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Robert Pershing Wadlow

Robert Wadlow compared to his father, Harold Franklin Wadlow
Born February 22, 1918
Alton, Illinois
Died July 15, 1940 (aged 22)
Manistee, Michigan
Other names Alton Giant
Height 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m)
Known for Tallest verified human being
Parents Harold Franklin Wadlow
Addie Johnson

Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 – July 15, 1940) is the tallest person in medical history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. He is often known as the "Alton Giant" because of his Alton, Illinois hometown.

Wadlow reached 8 feet 11.1 inches (2.72 m)[1] [2] in height and weighed 440 pounds (199 kg) at his death. His great size and his continued growth in adulthood was due to hypertrophy of his pituitary gland which results in an abnormally high level of human growth hormone. He showed no indication of an end to his growth even at the time of his death.

Contents

Early life

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Wadlow was born to Addie and Harold Wadlow in Alton, Illinois on February 22, 1918, and was the oldest of five children.

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[citation needed].

His shoes still exist in several locations throughout the US, including the Alton Museum of History and Art. They were provided to him free of charge by a shoe company for which he did promotional work and appearances[citation needed].


Age Height Weight Notes
0 8 lb 6 oz (3.8 kg) Normal height.
4 Started rapid growth.
8 6 ft 2 in (1.9 m)
10 6 ft 6 in (2.0 m) 220 lb (100 kg)
13 7 ft 4 in (2.2 m) World's tallest Boy Scout, averaging a growth of 4 inches (100 mm) per year since birth, wearing size 25 (U.S.) shoes.[3]
16 7 ft 10.5 in (2.40 m) 365 lb (166 kg)
17 8 ft 1.5 in (2.48 m) 400 lb (180 kg) Weight is approximate, was less.
18 8 ft 4 in (2.5 m) 390 lb (180 kg) Weight is approximate, was more. His shoes were widely reported to be size 37AA, but they measured about 18.5 inches (470 mm) long, which correlates to an actual size of 29 or 30 (see Matthew McGrory)[citation needed]
19 8 ft 6 in (2.6 m) 435 lb (197 kg)
21 491 lb (223 kg) His hands measured 12.75 inches (324 mm) from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger[citation needed].
22 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m) 440 lb (200 kg) At death.[4]
Wadlow 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) at age 10
Wadlow 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) at age 10

Later years

Wadlow's size began to take its toll: he required leg braces to walk, and had little feeling in his legs and feet. On June 27, 1940 (eighteen days before his death), he was measured at 8 feet 11.1 inches (2.72 m) by doctors C. M. Charles and Cyril MacBryde of Washington University School of Medicine 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.

Death

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 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 it would never be disturbed or stolen.

Today

Robert Pershing Wadlow compared with a 6 ft (1.83 m) man at Bristol Zoo, England
Robert Pershing Wadlow compared with a 6 ft (1.83 m) man at Bristol Zoo, England

In 1985, a life-size bronze statue of Wadlow by Ned Giberson was erected at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Dental Medicine. He is also featured in film and with a wax replica in the Ripley's Believe It Or Not! museum in Saint Augustine, Florida, Atlantic City, New Jersey, Niagara Falls, Canada, Gold Coast, Queensland and Guadalajara, Mexico. A life-sized statue was part of the exhibits at the Guinness Hall of World Records in the Empire State Building in New York City. The 1998 song "The Giant of Illinois," by the Handsome Family honors Wadlow with a hauntingly ambiguous lament, and he is still known affectionately as the "Gentle Giant."[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ World's Tallest Man
  2. ^ Robert Wadlow, World's Tallest Man, Alton Illinois
  3. ^ a b Colombraro, Rosemarie (2007). "The world's tallest Boy Scout". Boys' Life (Feb 2007): 24–25. 
  4. ^ World's Tallest Man at Guinness World Records

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.

External links