Robert Wadlow: The Tallest Man in the World

Born in Alton, Illinois on February 22nd, 1918, Robert Pershing Wadlow would grow up to suffer from a pituitary condition that caused him to grow ceaselessly because of continuous overproduction of growth hormone.

How Tall is the Tallest Person in the World?

A shy and cheerful lad, Robert Wadlow surpassed his father’s six-foot height by age 8, topping out at 6 feet eleven by age twelve, while reaching a height of eight feet four inches by the time he graduated high school in 1936. At his tallest eminence, his shoe size clocked in at 40.

Wherever Robert went he attracted cameras and crowds, and after high school he took a job as a Field Representative for Saint Louis’ International Shoe Company, traveling from town to town and shoe store to shoe store, where people flocked for a look at the world’s tallest man.

Except for a short stint with the Barnum and Bailey Circus, where he objected at being thrown in with the circus’ Freak Show crowd, Robert Wadlow never felt sorry or ashamed about his condition. In fact, he said that people should utilize their handicaps instead of fussing about them.

“Look at me,” he went on to say, “I’m nearly nine feet tall and I’m getting along alright.”

Wow Did Robert Wadlow Die?

On The Fourth of July, 1940, during a professional appearance at the Manistee National Forest Festival in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, a faulty leg brace irritated his ankle, leading to a septic infection.

He was treated with a blood transfusion and surgery, but his condition worsened due to an autoimmune disorder, and he died in his sleep on July 15th at the tender age of 22. His coffin measured 10 feet nine inches in length and weighed in at over 1,000 pounds, requiring 12 pallbearers and eight assistants to carry the giant to his final resting place at Oakwood Cemetery, Alton, Illinois. Today, Robert Wadlow’s pituitary condition remains 100% preventable.