The Tallest Man Ever: Robert Wadlow

Robert Pershing Wadlow was born almost a century ago (22^nd February 1918) in the city of Alton, Illinois. He was the first born of Addie and Harold Wadlow. Later the Wadlow family grew with the addition of two sisters, Helen and Betty, and two brothers, Eugene and Harold Jr ,all were of normal height and weight.
 At birth,Robert too was normal and weighed 8 lb 8 oz (3.85 kg). Even in the next 24 months nothing suggested that he will become the tallest person in the world. He was developing fine until the age two when he had a double hernia operation. That was when he started to grow fast though no link has been found between the surgical operation and his abnormal growth.

The rate of growth he experienced was incredible. When he was 5 years old he was 5 feet 4 inches(1.63 meters) tall! At the age of 8 he was 6 ft(1.82 meters) tall. The most interesting part is that he didn’t stop growing and it looks like he gained 2.5 inches every year until he turned 12 when he was around 6 feet 10.5 inches (2.10 meters) tall.

When Robert turned 12,he started growing even faster. At age of 15,he was 7 ft 8 inched (2.34 meters) tall. By the time he finished his teenage age,his height was 8 ft 6.75 inches (2.61 meters) .

Robert Wadlow had a difficult life because he couldn’t use most of the things people with regular height use like furniture, cars, apartments etc. His clothes and shoes were specially made for him. Also he has the largest hands and feet known in history. 

Doctors discovered his human growth hormone is the cause of this abnormal growth because it produces the hormone in abnormal quantity. They advised that a surgery be carried out to correct this even though there's no guarantee it'll be successful but his parents refused. 

In July 1940,Robert had a fatal infection caused by blisters that formed on his feet. Days later, after emergency surgery and blood transfusions, the infection lingered and his temperature continued to rise. On the 15th of July 1940, Robert Wadlow passed away in his sleep. He died at the age of 22. At the time of his death,he was 8 ft 11.1 inches (2.72 meters) tall. 

Robert was famous through his life time both in his country and world wide.  He was referred to as the gentle giant. In 1985 a life-size bronze statue (photo), was erected on the campus of the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine to immortalise Robert.

Below is a short video showing Robert Wadlow