Robert Wadlow

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Robert Pershing Wadlow

Robert Wadlow compared to his father, Harold Franklin Wadlow
Born February 22, 1918(1918-02-22)
Alton, Illinois,
United States
Died July 15, 1940 (aged 22)
Manistee, Michigan,
United States
Other names Alton Giant, Gentle Giant
Height 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m)[1]
Weight 222 kg (490 lb)
Known for Tallest verified human being
Parents Harold Franklin Wadlow
Addie Johnson
This article is about the tallest man in recorded history. For the tallest man alive, see Sultan Kösen.

Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 – July 15, 1940) was a man who is the tallest person in history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. Wadlow is sometimes known as the Alton Giant or Giant of Illinois because of his upbringing in Alton, Illinois.

Wadlow reached 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m) [2][3] in height and weighed 222 kg (490 lb) at his death at age 22. 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

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. Despite these encounters, Wadlow was never confined to a wheelchair. On June 27, 1940 (eighteen days before his death), he was measured at 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m) by doctors C. M. Charles and Cyril MacBryde of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Wadlow was an American celebrity; 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 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 twelve 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

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 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, Ontario; 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.

In music

Wadlow has been the topic of many songs throughout the years. The 1998 song "The Giant of Illinois," by the Handsome Family (and later covered by Andrew Bird) honors Wadlow. In 2005 Sufjan Stevens recorded "The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders" about Wadlow for the Illinois album.

Height chart

Wadlow 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) at age 10
Age Height Weight Notes
0 8 lb 6 oz (3.8 kg) Normal height.
4 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) Started rapid growth.
8 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
10 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg)
13 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) World's tallest Boy Scout, averaging a growth of 4 inches (100 mm) per year since birth, wearing size 25 (U.S.) shoes.[4]
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.
18 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m) 390 lb (180 kg)
19 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) 435 lb (197 kg)
21 8 ft 9.5 in (2.68 m) 491 lb (223 kg)
22 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m) 490 lb (220 kg) At death, Robert Wadlow is the world's tallest man according to the Guinness World Records.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Tallest Man". Guiness World Records. http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/human_body/extreme_bodies/tallest_man.aspx. Retrieved 2009-10-20. 
  2. ^ World's Tallest Man
  3. ^ Robert Wadlow, World's Tallest Man, Alton Illinois
  4. ^ Colombraro, Rosemarie (2007). "The world's tallest Boy Scout". Boys' Life (Feb 2007): 24–25. 

Further reading

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

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wadlow"