At 8 Feet 11 Inches, Robert Wadlow Was the World's Tallest Man
Wadlow, 18, measuring 8 feet 5 3/4 inches, stands beside his brothers Eugene, 14, and Harold, 3, at their home in Alton, Illinois
Most boys stop growing around age 16, give or take. But Robert Wadlow, the tallest person in history, kept going until the day he died. By that time, he had reached the astounding height of 8 feet, 11.1 inches (2.7 meters) tall, as well as a bodyweight of 439 pounds (199 kilograms). This "gentle giant" has held the title of "Tallest Man Ever" with Guinness World Records since the first such book was released in 1955.
Born to average-sized parents in 1918, Wadlow weighed in at a normal 8.7 pounds (3.9 kilograms) at birth. But that changed pretty quickly. At 6 months old, he weighed 30 pounds (13.6 kilograms), then 62 pounds (28 kilograms) by age 18 months. By 8, he was 6 feet, 2 inches (1.8 meters) tall and weighed 195 pounds (88 kilograms). His two brothers and two sisters were all average in both height and weight.
In the small town of Alton, Illinois, Wadlow benefited from a fiercely protective community. "Even though he was adult size by kindergarten, his family and the community tried to give him as normal of a childhood as possible," said Jennifer Phillips, author of "Robert Wadlow: The Unique Life of the Boy Who Became the World's Tallest Man" in a 2021 email interview. "He enjoyed all of the activities other kids his age were enjoying. He participated in school plays, joined the Scouts, and appears to have been a regular kid in this respect." Eventually, word of Wadlow's impressive stature spread, and he started to be sensationalized by the media. "The scrutiny from elsewhere started when he was 9 and that definitely impacted his childhood," Phillips said. "But his family and the immediate community were protective with a goal of letting him be a regular child as much as possible."
Robert Wadlow: Tallest man ever
Humankind has always been fascinated by extremes: as a result, the record for the Tallest man (ever) has been featured in almost every edition of the Guinness World Records book since its inauguration in 1955.
"The only admissible evidence upon the true height of giants is that of recent date made under impartial medical supervision." These were the words of Norris and Ross McWhirter, the founders of Guinness World Records, in 1955. They went on to dismiss claims for legendary giants such as the biblical Og, King of Bashan (allegedly 9 Assyrian cubits, or 494.03 cm/16 ft 2.5 in tall), citing "confusion of units".
The twins then named Robert Wadlow as the tallest man "of whom there is irrefutable evidence". When last measured on 27 June 1940, the mild-mannered American stretched a staggering 2.72 m (8 ft 11.1 in) tall. Perhaps surprisingly, Robert entered the world no differently to most babies. He was born on 22 February 1918 to two regular-sized parents, weighing an unremarkable 3.85 kg (8.7 lb). But he rapidly started to shoot up, reaching an incredible 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) by the age of five, by which time he was already wearing clothes intended for teenagers.
Meet the tallest man EVER
On this day 101 years ago, the tallest man (ever) was born. The towering American, named Robert Wadlow, measured a a mind-boggling 2.72 m (8 ft 11.1 in) tall when he was last measured on 27 June 1940.
Robert also had the largest feet ever, measuring a massive 47 cm (18.5 in) long feet - that's almost four coke cans laid end to end! He also had the largest hands ever, measuring 32.3 cm (12.7 in) from the wrist to the tip of his middle finger.
His record-breaking height started when he was a child, and when he was eight years old he was taller than his 5 ft 11 in tall father. He was even able to pick his father up and carry him up the stairs of their house!
The Life and Legacy of Robert Wadlow: The Alton Giant
Robert's towering presence inevitably attracted attention wherever he went. Even at the age of 15, he found himself in the spotlight, surrounded by cameras and crowds during a visit to the Chicago World's Fair with his YMCA group. However, it was in his hometown of Alton that Robert truly felt like an ordinary person. The people of Alton, recognizing him as one of their own, treated him with acceptance and warmth. To them, he was not just the world's tallest man, but a cherished member of their community.
Throughout his life, Robert Wadlow faced numerous challenges. He worked as a representative for the International Shoe Company, traveling from town to town, showcasing his extraordinary height to curious onlookers. Although he considered it a job, Robert longed for a sense of normalcy. He yearned to be seen as more than just a spectacle.
Why Robert Wadlow will be the tallest person ever, forever
However, among this pantheon of giants, there is one who stands head and shoulders above the rest. Robert Wadlow, the tallest man ever, was 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m) at his peak height. That’s taller than a grizzly bear standing on its hind legs. Born in Alton, Illinois, USA on 22 February 1918, Robert reached unprecedented heights from an early age. By the age of just six years old he was already 5 ft 7 in tall and by the end of the following year he had outgrown his father.
Robert crossed the eight-foot mark at age 16, becoming the tallest teenager ever. Shortly after his 21st birthday, at a height of 8 ft 9 in, he was recognized without any doubt to be the tallest human ever measured. It’s highly unlikely that any human will ever reach such a size again.
The tragic death of Robert Wadlow, the tallest man ever
"The doctor says I won't get home for the...celebrations." Robert Pershing Wadlow, the tallest man ever, spoke his last words a few hours before passing away in his sleep at 1:30 a.m. on 15 July 1940. He was just 22 years old.
Robert Wadlow died due to a septic blister on his right ankle caused by a poorly-fitted iron brace, which he wore to support his legs. He measured 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m) and weighed 439 lb (199 kg) at his time of death. But how did something so small as a blister cause Wadlow’s untimely end? It helps to know that Robert Wadlow possessed the largest feet ever. He wore US size 37AA shoes (UK size 36; EU size 75), equivalent to 18.5 in (47 cm) long. Unfortunately, due to his extreme height and weight, he was plagued by foot injuries throughout his life and required medical attention at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri several times, according to newspaper articles transcribed by Illinois Genealogy Trails.
On one such occasion in 1932, aged 14, Robert was brought to the hospital after slipping into a slight dip in the street whilst playing with a friend. Two of the bones in his foot were found to be broken and from then on, Robert needed to wear an ankle brace to support his sizeable stature. At the age of 17, Robert was hospitalized for eight weeks due to an infection caused by a shoe-pad which was designed to support his foot arches. Eight men and a reinforced stretcher were required to carry Wadlow to the hospital.
Lee Muvaka 12 Oct 23.54
The tallest man in recorded history is Robert Wadlow, at 8’ 11”. He weighed 480 pounds and wore a size 36 shoe. He had the appropriate job of advertising for a shoe company.
He is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. He was measured three weeks before he died and was almost nine feet tall. He was born February 22, 1918 in Alton, Illinois weighing a near normal 8.7 pounds. His greatest weight was 491 pounds. His hands were about thirteen inches from the wrist to top of the middle finger and his shoes were size 37AA, that's more than eighteen inches long. Before International Shoe Company provided free shoes, they cost $100.00 a pair (in today's money that's six to seven hundred dollars). Wadlow was still growing when he died.
During a trip he and his father were visiting 800 towns in 41 states for the shoe company. His dad removed the front passenger seat so Robert could sit in the back seat and stretch out his long legs.
In kindergarten he was 5'6'' tall, wearing clothing that would fit a 17-year-old boy. In 1929 he had his first medical checkup where the family was told that the boy had an over active pituitary gland. Too late for Robert, medical science today can compensate for the problem. In 1931 he was the largest Boy Scout in the world at 7'4" weighing 270 pounds. The "Gentle Giant" died July 15, 1940.
Robert Wadlow
Robert Pershing Wadlow born 22 Feb 1918 & Died 15 Jul 1940 at age 22
Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 – July 15, 1940), also known as the Alton Giant and the Giant of Illinois, was an American advertiser who was the tallest person in recorded history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. He was born and raised in Alton, Illinois, a small city near St. Louis, Missouri.
Wadlow's height was 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m) while his weight reached 439 lb (199 kg) at his death at age 22. His great size and his continued growth in adulthood were due to hypertrophy of his pituitary gland, which results in an abnormally high level of human growth hormone.
Wadlow was born in Alton, Illinois, on February 22, 1918, to Harold Franklin and Addie May (Johnson) Wadlow, and was the oldest of five children. He was taller than his father by age 8, and in elementary school a special desk was made for him. By the time of his graduation from Alton High School in 1936, he was 8 ft 4 in (254 cm). He enrolled in Shurtleff College with the intention of studying law.