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Robert Wadlow

January 07, 2023

Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 – July 15, 1940), also known as the Alton Giant and the Giant of Illinois, was an American man 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.[1]

Robert Wadlow
Wadlow (left) with his father
Born
Robert Pershing Wadlow

(1918-02-22)February 22, 1918
Alton, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJuly 15, 1940(1940-07-15) (aged 22)
Manistee, Michigan, U.S.[1]
Other names
  • The Gentle Giant
  • The Tallest Man Who Ever Lived
  • The Gentleman Giant
  • The Boy Giant
  • The Alton Giant
  • The Illinois Giant
Known forVerified tallest human
Height8 ft 11.1 in (272.0 cm)

Wadlow's height was 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m)[2][3][4] 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 (HGH). Even by the time of his death, there was no indication that his growth had ended.

Early life

 
Wadlow (left) at ten years old

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).[1] He enrolled in Shurtleff College with the intention of studying law.

Adulthood and death

 
Wadlow's shoe (US size 37 AA; UK size 36 or approximately European size 75) compared to a US size 12[2]

Wadlow required leg braces when walking and had little feeling in his legs and feet. He never used a wheelchair.[5]

Wadlow became a celebrity after his 1936 U.S. tour with the Ringling Brothers Circus, appearing at Madison Square Garden and the Boston Garden in the center ring (never in the sideshow).[6] During his appearances, he dressed in his everyday clothes and refused the circus's request that he wear a top hat and tails.[6]

In 1938, he began a promotional tour with the International Shoe Company, which provided him shoes free of charge,[7] again only in his everyday street clothes.[8] Wadlow saw himself as working in advertising, not exhibiting as a freak.[6] He possessed great physical strength until the last few days of his life.[9][better source needed]

Wadlow belonged to the Order of DeMolay, the Masonic-sponsored organization for young men, and was later a Freemason. By November 1939,[10] Wadlow was a Master Mason under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Illinois A.F. and A.M.

One year before his death, Wadlow passed John Rogan as the tallest person ever. On June 27, 1940 (18 days before his death), he was measured by doctors at 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m).[1]

On July 4, 1940, during a professional appearance at the Manistee National Forest Festival, a faulty brace irritated his ankle, leading to infection. He was treated with a blood transfusion and surgery, but his condition worsened due to an autoimmune disorder; he died in his sleep on July 15.[11][1]

His coffin measured 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) long by 2 ft 8 in (0.81 m) wide by 2 ft 6 in (0.76 m) deep, weighed over 1,000 lb (450 kg), and was carried by twelve pallbearers and eight assistants.[1][12][13] He was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Upper Alton, Madison County, Illinois.

A life-size statue of Wadlow was erected opposite the Alton Museum of History and Art in 1986.[1][14]

Height chart

Height and weight of Robert Wadlow, by age of measurement
Age Height Weight Notes Size of Date
Birth 1 ft 8 in (0.51 m) 8 lb 5 oz (3.8 kg)[15] Normal height and weight Average newborn February 22, 1918
6 months 2 ft 10+1⁄2 in (0.88 m) 30 lb (14 kg)[16] 2-year-old August 22, 1918
1 year 3 ft 6 in (1.07 m) 45 lb (20 kg) When he began to walk at 11 months, he was 3 ft 3+1⁄2 in (1.00 m) tall and weighed 40 lb (18 kg). 5-year-old February 22, 1919
18 months 4 ft 3+1⁄4 in (1.30 m) 67 lb (30 kg)[16] 8-year-old August 22, 1919
2 years 4 ft 6+1⁄4 in (1.38 m) 75 lb (34 kg) 10-year-old 1920
3 years 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m) 89 lb (40 kg) 12-year-old 1921
4 years 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) 105 lb (48 kg) 14-year-old 1922
5 years 5 ft 6+1⁄2 in (1.69 m)[16] 140 lb (64 kg)[16] At 5 years of age, attending kindergarten, Wadlow was 5 ft 6+1⁄2 in (1.69 m) tall. He wore clothes that would fit a 17-year-old boy. 15-year-old 1923
6 years 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) 146 lb (66 kg) 15-year-old 1924
7 years 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 159 lb (72 kg) Height of adult male. 1925
8 years 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[17] 169 lb (77 kg)[17] 1926
9 years 6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m)[17] 180 lb (82 kg) Weighing 180 lb (82 kg), he was strong enough to carry his father (who was sitting in a living room chair) up the stairs to the second floor.[18] 1927
10 years 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)[19] 211 lb (96 kg)[19] 1928
11 years 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 241 lb (109 kg) 1929
12 years 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)[20] 287 lb (130 kg) 1930
13 years 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)[21] 270 lb (120 kg)[21] World's tallest Boy Scout, averaging a growth of 4 inches (10 cm) per year since birth and wearing size 19 (U.S.) shoes.[22] 1931
14 years 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) 331 lb (150 kg) 1932
15 years 7 ft 10 in (2.39 m) 354 lb (161 kg) 1933
16 years 8 ft 1+1⁄4 in (2.47 m)[23] 374 lb (170 kg) 1934
17 years 8 ft 3 in (2.51 m)[24] 382 lb (173 kg) Graduated from high school on January 8, 1936 (not yet 18)[24] Height of Sultan Kösen, tallest currently living man. 1935
18 years 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m) 391 lb (177 kg) 1936
19 years 8 ft 6+1⁄2 in (2.60 m)[8] 480 lb (220 kg)[8] 1937
20 years 8 ft 7+1⁄4 in (2.62 m) 488 lb (221 kg) 1938
21 years 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m)[25] 491 lb (223 kg)[25] 1939
22.4 years 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m)[26] 439 lb (199 kg) At death, he was the world's tallest man according to Guinness World Records.[2] June 27, 1940

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g . Alton Museum of History and Art. Archived from the original on September 14, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c . Guinness World Records. March 19, 2010. Archived from the original on March 19, 2010. Retrieved March 19, 2010. at Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "World's Tallest Man". Worlds Largest Things Traveling Roadside Attraction. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  4. ^ "Robert Wadlow, World's Tallest Man, Alton Illinois". Roadside America. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  5. ^ "On This Day in 1918: The tallest man in the world is born". Guinness World Records. February 22, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Joe Nickell (2005). Secrets of the Sideshows. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813123585, p. 89
  7. ^ "Alton Museum of History and Art - Robert Pershing Wadlow - Alton's Gentle Giant". www.altonweb.com. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  8. ^ a b c Drimmer 1991, p. 60.
  9. ^ "Measuring 8 ft 11 inches, Wadlow was the tallest man in history. At age eight, he was taller than his father". The Vintage News. October 21, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  10. ^ Robert Wadlow "worlds tallest man, worlds tallest mason" September 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Illinois Freemasonry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 1, Winter 2009 p.5
  11. ^ Drimmer 1991, pp. 68, 70.
  12. ^ "Tallest man ever". Guinness World Records.
  13. ^ Hartzman, Marc (2006). American sideshow : an encyclopedia of history's most wondrous and curiously strange performers. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin. p. 432. ISBN 9781440649912. OCLC 460991173.
  14. ^ Brannan, Dan (July 14, 2010). . The Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 31, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
  15. ^ Drimmer 1991, p. 50.
  16. ^ a b c d Drimmer 1991, p. 51.
  17. ^ a b c Drimmer 1991, p. 52.
  18. ^ "'At the age of 9 he could carry his father up a flight of stairs'". South Coast Herald. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Ten-Year-Olds". The Pittsburgh Press. October 28, 1928. p. 39. OCLC 2266185, 9208497, 751750633. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  20. ^ Drimmer 1991, p. 54.
  21. ^ a b Drimmer 1991, p. 55.
  22. ^ Colombraro, Rosemarie (February 2007). "Standing tall: he world's tallest Boy Scout". Boys' Life. Irving, TX: Boy Scouts of America: 24–25. ISSN 0006-8608. OCLC 1027475257.
  23. ^ Drimmer 1991, p. 56.
  24. ^ a b Drimmer 1991, p. 58.
  25. ^ a b Drimmer 1991, p. 66.
  26. ^ Drimmer 1991, pp. 50, 68.

Further reading

  • Brannan, Dan (2003). Boy giant : the story of Robert Wadlow the world's tallest man. Alton, IL, US: Alton Museum of History and Art. ISBN 9780965022859. OCLC 53210546.
  • Drimmer, Frederick (1991). "The Tallest Man in the World". Born different : amazing stories of very special people. New York: Bantam. pp. 48-71. ISBN 9780553158977. OCLC 1028856157. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  • Fadner, Frederic; Wadlow, Harold F. (1944). The gentleman giant; the biography of Robert Pershing Wadlow. Boston: B. Humphries, Inc. OCLC 4904888.
  • Hamilton, Sandra (1993). Looking back and up : at Robert Pershing Wadlow, the gentle giant. Alton, IL, US: Alton Museum of History and Art. OCLC 29307342.
  • Phillips, Jennifer (2010). Robert Wadlow : the unique life of the boy who became the world's tallest man. Shoreline, WA: Nose in a Book Pub. OCLC 709592729.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert Wadlow.
  • Robert Wadlow at IMDb
  • Leone, Charles A. (1975). "The Story of Robert". YouTube. Turquoise Film/Video Productions. Archived from the original (documentary film) on October 30, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  • Footage of Robert Wadlow
  • Alton Museum of History and Art article
  • Graveyards.com: Upper Alton Cemetery
  • Robert Wadlow at Find a Grave
Records
Preceded by Tallest recognized person ever
1939–present 		Incumbent

January 07, 2023
robert, wadlow, robert, pershing, wadlow, february, 1918, july, 1940, also, known, alton, giant, giant, illinois, american, tallest, person, recorded, history, whom, there, irrefutable, evidence, born, raised, alton, illinois, small, city, near, louis, missour. Robert Pershing Wadlow February 22 1918 July 15 1940 also known as the Alton Giant and the Giant of Illinois was an American man 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 1 Robert WadlowWadlow left with his fatherBornRobert Pershing Wadlow 1918 02 22 February 22 1918Alton Illinois U S DiedJuly 15 1940 1940 07 15 aged 22 Manistee Michigan U S 1 Other namesThe Gentle GiantThe Tallest Man Who Ever LivedThe Gentleman GiantThe Boy GiantThe Alton GiantThe Illinois GiantKnown forVerified tallest humanHeight8 ft 11 1 in 272 0 cm Wadlow s height was 8 ft 11 1 in 2 72 m 2 3 4 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 HGH Even by the time of his death there was no indication that his growth had ended Contents 1 Early life 2 Adulthood and death 3 Height chart 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksEarly life Wadlow left at ten years old 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 1 He enrolled in Shurtleff College with the intention of studying law Adulthood and death Wadlow s shoe US size 37 AA UK size 36 or approximately European size 75 compared to a US size 12 2 Wadlow required leg braces when walking and had little feeling in his legs and feet He never used a wheelchair 5 Wadlow became a celebrity after his 1936 U S tour with the Ringling Brothers Circus appearing at Madison Square Garden and the Boston Garden in the center ring never in the sideshow 6 During his appearances he dressed in his everyday clothes and refused the circus s request that he wear a top hat and tails 6 In 1938 he began a promotional tour with the International Shoe Company which provided him shoes free of charge 7 again only in his everyday street clothes 8 Wadlow saw himself as working in advertising not exhibiting as a freak 6 He possessed great physical strength until the last few days of his life 9 better source needed Wadlow belonged to the Order of DeMolay the Masonic sponsored organization for young men and was later a Freemason By November 1939 10 Wadlow was a Master Mason under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Illinois A F and A M One year before his death Wadlow passed John Rogan as the tallest person ever On June 27 1940 18 days before his death he was measured by doctors at 8 ft 11 1 in 2 72 m 1 On July 4 1940 during a professional appearance at the Manistee National Forest Festival a faulty brace irritated his ankle leading to infection He was treated with a blood transfusion and surgery but his condition worsened due to an autoimmune disorder he died in his sleep on July 15 11 1 His coffin measured 10 ft 9 in 3 28 m long by 2 ft 8 in 0 81 m wide by 2 ft 6 in 0 76 m deep weighed over 1 000 lb 450 kg and was carried by twelve pallbearers and eight assistants 1 12 13 He was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Upper Alton Madison County Illinois A life size statue of Wadlow was erected opposite the Alton Museum of History and Art in 1986 1 14 Height chartThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed September 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Height and weight of Robert Wadlow by age of measurement Age Height Weight Notes Size of DateBirth 1 ft 8 in 0 51 m 8 lb 5 oz 3 8 kg 15 Normal height and weight Average newborn February 22 19186 months 2 ft 10 1 2 in 0 88 m 30 lb 14 kg 16 2 year old August 22 19181 year 3 ft 6 in 1 07 m 45 lb 20 kg When he began to walk at 11 months he was 3 ft 3 1 2 in 1 00 m tall and weighed 40 lb 18 kg 5 year old February 22 191918 months 4 ft 3 1 4 in 1 30 m 67 lb 30 kg 16 8 year old August 22 19192 years 4 ft 6 1 4 in 1 38 m 75 lb 34 kg 10 year old 19203 years 4 ft 11 in 1 50 m 89 lb 40 kg 12 year old 19214 years 5 ft 3 in 1 60 m 105 lb 48 kg 14 year old 19225 years 5 ft 6 1 2 in 1 69 m 16 140 lb 64 kg 16 At 5 years of age attending kindergarten Wadlow was 5 ft 6 1 2 in 1 69 m tall He wore clothes that would fit a 17 year old boy 15 year old 19236 years 5 ft 7 in 1 70 m 146 lb 66 kg 15 year old 19247 years 5 ft 10 in 1 78 m 159 lb 72 kg Height of adult male 19258 years 6 ft 0 in 1 83 m 17 169 lb 77 kg 17 19269 years 6 ft 2 1 2 in 1 89 m 17 180 lb 82 kg Weighing 180 lb 82 kg he was strong enough to carry his father who was sitting in a living room chair up the stairs to the second floor 18 192710 years 6 ft 5 in 1 96 m 19 211 lb 96 kg 19 192811 years 6 ft 11 in 2 11 m 241 lb 109 kg 192912 years 7 ft 0 in 2 13 m 20 287 lb 130 kg 193013 years 7 ft 4 in 2 24 m 21 270 lb 120 kg 21 World s tallest Boy Scout averaging a growth of 4 inches 10 cm per year since birth and wearing size 19 U S shoes 22 193114 years 7 ft 5 in 2 26 m 331 lb 150 kg 193215 years 7 ft 10 in 2 39 m 354 lb 161 kg 193316 years 8 ft 1 1 4 in 2 47 m 23 374 lb 170 kg 193417 years 8 ft 3 in 2 51 m 24 382 lb 173 kg Graduated from high school on January 8 1936 not yet 18 24 Height of Sultan Kosen tallest currently living man 193518 years 8 ft 4 in 2 54 m 391 lb 177 kg 193619 years 8 ft 6 1 2 in 2 60 m 8 480 lb 220 kg 8 193720 years 8 ft 7 1 4 in 2 62 m 488 lb 221 kg 193821 years 8 ft 8 in 2 64 m 25 491 lb 223 kg 25 193922 4 years 8 ft 11 1 in 2 72 m 26 439 lb 199 kg At death he was the world s tallest man according to Guinness World Records 2 June 27 1940See alsoAcromegaly List of tallest peopleReferences a b c d e f g Robert Pershing Wadlow Alton Museum of History and Art Archived from the original on September 14 2022 Retrieved October 3 2022 a b c Tallest Man Guinness World Records March 19 2010 Archived from the original on March 19 2010 Retrieved March 19 2010 at Wayback Machine World s Tallest Man Worlds Largest Things Traveling Roadside Attraction Retrieved May 14 2018 Robert Wadlow World s Tallest Man Alton Illinois Roadside America Retrieved March 7 2012 On This Day in 1918 The tallest man in the world is born Guinness World Records February 22 2018 Retrieved August 18 2018 a b c Joe Nickell 2005 Secrets of the Sideshows University Press of Kentucky ISBN 0813123585 p 89 Alton Museum of History and Art Robert Pershing Wadlow Alton s Gentle Giant www altonweb com Retrieved August 18 2018 a b c Drimmer 1991 p 60 Measuring 8 ft 11 inches Wadlow was the tallest man in history At age eight he was taller than his father The Vintage News October 21 2016 Retrieved July 24 2018 Robert Wadlow worlds tallest man worlds tallest mason Archived September 14 2011 at the Wayback Machine Illinois Freemasonry Magazine Vol 15 No 1 Winter 2009 p 5 Drimmer 1991 pp 68 70 Tallest man ever Guinness World Records Hartzman Marc 2006 American sideshow an encyclopedia of history s most wondrous and curiously strange performers New York Jeremy P Tarcher Penguin p 432 ISBN 9781440649912 OCLC 460991173 Brannan Dan July 14 2010 Wadlow died 70 years ago Thursday The Telegraph Archived from the original on January 31 2011 Retrieved March 4 2011 Drimmer 1991 p 50 a b c d Drimmer 1991 p 51 a b c Drimmer 1991 p 52 At the age of 9 he could carry his father up a flight of stairs South Coast Herald Retrieved May 28 2022 a b Ten Year Olds The Pittsburgh Press October 28 1928 p 39 OCLC 2266185 9208497 751750633 Retrieved May 14 2018 Drimmer 1991 p 54 a b Drimmer 1991 p 55 Colombraro Rosemarie February 2007 Standing tall he world s tallest Boy Scout Boys Life Irving TX Boy Scouts of America 24 25 ISSN 0006 8608 OCLC 1027475257 Drimmer 1991 p 56 a b Drimmer 1991 p 58 a b Drimmer 1991 p 66 Drimmer 1991 pp 50 68 Further readingBrannan Dan 2003 Boy giant the story of Robert Wadlow the world s tallest man Alton IL US Alton Museum of History and Art ISBN 9780965022859 OCLC 53210546 Drimmer Frederick 1991 The Tallest Man in the World Born different amazing stories of very special people New York Bantam pp 48 71 ISBN 9780553158977 OCLC 1028856157 Retrieved May 14 2018 Fadner Frederic Wadlow Harold F 1944 The gentleman giant the biography of Robert Pershing Wadlow Boston B Humphries Inc OCLC 4904888 Hamilton Sandra 1993 Looking back and up at Robert Pershing Wadlow the gentle giant Alton IL US Alton Museum of History and Art OCLC 29307342 Phillips Jennifer 2010 Robert Wadlow the unique life of the boy who became the world s tallest man Shoreline WA Nose in a Book Pub OCLC 709592729 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert Wadlow Robert Wadlow at IMDb Leone Charles A 1975 The Story of Robert YouTube Turquoise Film Video Productions Archived from the original documentary film on October 30 2021 Retrieved May 14 2018 Footage of Robert Wadlow Alton Museum of History and Art article Graveyards com Upper Alton Cemetery Robert Wadlow at Find a GraveRecordsPreceded byJohn Rogan Tallest recognized person ever1939 present Incumbent Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Robert Wadlow amp oldid 1129093390, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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