Every once in a while, a human being who goes on to defy all logic and norms is born. That notion has never applied more than on Feb. 22, 1918, when Robert Pershing Wadlow came into the world.
Born in Alton, Illinois, Robert Wadlow emerged from his mother weighing an unremarkable 3.85 kg (8.7 lbs). That was no surprise; his parents, Harold Franklin and Addie May (Johnson) Wadlow, were average-sized humans. However, when Wadlow became a toddler, a growth spurt began that was far from unremarkable. By the time he was five years old, Wadlow was wearing clothes meant for teenagers and stood an unbelievable 1.63 m (5 ft, 4 in). He hit the 6 ft mark (1.83 m) when he was eight, overtaking his father’s height of 5 ft 11 in (1.803 cm). At the age of 10, he was 6 ft 5 inches tall (1.96 m), and a year later, he reached the landmark of 2 m (6 ft, 6.7 in), making him a full inch taller than legendary NBA star Michael Jordan.
When Wadlow was 15, he was a whopping 2.34 m (7 ft, 8 in), and at 17, he reached 8 ft (2.45 m), making him the tallest teenager ever. At the age of 19, his height reached 2.58 m (8 ft, 5.5 in), making him a centimeter taller than the reported heights of Vietnam’s Hồ Văn Trung (1984-2019) and Thailand’s Pornchai Saosri (1989-2015) ⏤ who, despite not being officially recognized as such by Guinness World Records, are two of the tallest men to have lived in the new millennium. At 20, Wadlow grew to 2.61 m (8 ft, 6.7 in), then 2.65 m (8 ft, 8.3 in) at 21, which made him a centimeter taller than his fellow countryman John F. Carroll (1932-1969), who remains the third-tallest man of all time.
Over the next year, he grew taller than another famous fellow American, who stood at 2.67 m (8 ft, 9 in) tall: John “Bud” Rogan (1868-1905). Rogan was the tallest man in history until Wadlow overtook him, and he remains the second-tallest man ever. Tragically, Wadlow died on July 15, 1940, at the age of just 22 years and five months. His cause of death was a septic blister on his right ankle due to a wound caused by an ill-fitting iron brace, which he’d only been given a week earlier to support his overly long leg. Wadlow continued growing until he died and reached a peak height of 2.72 m (8 ft, 11.1 in), making him the tallest man ever to walk the Earth. For comparison purposes, that’s almost as tall as a polar bear standing on its hind legs.
What was Robert Pershing Wadlow’s life like?
Wadlow’s massive height resulted from a condition called pituitary gigantism, caused by hyperplasia of his pituitary gland (meaning an increased number of cells). This meant that his body had abnormally high levels of the human growth hormone, and with Wadlow’s condition going untreated, his growth was vastly accelerated. Unsurprisingly, the condition caused mobility issues, which Wadlow dealt with throughout his life. He needed leg braces to walk around and had little feeling in his legs and feet, but he admirably and defiantly never resorted to using a wheelchair.
Wadlow’s size meant that his body needed vast amounts of sustenance. His peak daily food consumption incorporated a whopping 8,000 calories ⏤ 5,500 more than the recommended intake for an average adult male. He lived in an era when “freak show”-style entertainment, as it was called, was still prominent, and Wadlow thrived on it. He toured with the hugely popular Ringling Brothers Circus, becoming its star attraction — never featuring in the sideshow, as most “unusual” human attractions did — and earning worldwide fame.
His celebrity also resulted in him embarking on a promotional tour with the International Show Company (now known as INTERCO), which agreed to provide him with free footwear. Given that Wadlow’s massive 47 cm (18.5 in) feet required shoes of a United States size 37AA and would typically cost up to $100 (around $1,500 in today’s money), the deal was a blessing for him. In addition to his colossal height, Wadlow’s peak weight reached a hefty 223 kg (491 lb), and his hands were the largest on record, measuring 32.3 cm (12.7 in) from his wrist to the tip of his middle finger.
Wadlow was a kindhearted and lovely man whose nicknames included “The Gentle Giant” and “The Gentleman Giant.” During an interview for a radio show, the host asked him if he was irritated by the inevitable stares he received from amazed onlookers. He calmly replied, “No, I just overlook them.” Had Wadlow been alive today, advances in medical treatments and technology would have meant his condition could have been safely slowed down or even halted, prolonging his life. However, given how much he embraced his size and celebrity, it’s hard to imagine Wadlow living it any other way.