22 February: Robert Wadlow, the world's tallest man

Robert Pershing Wadlow was the World’s tallest man at 8ft 11.1in/2.72 m. He was born on 22 February 1918. Here are some facts about him.

1. He was born in Alton, Illinois, and was the first child of Harold Franklin and Addie May Wadlow. When he was born, he was a normal size 3.8 kilograms (8.4 lb). His parents and four siblings were all normal in height.
2. By the time he was eight years old, he was taller than his father. At nine, he could carry his father up a flight of stairs. At school, he had to have a special desk made to accommodate him.
3. Why did he grow to be so tall? He had an over-active pituitary gland which released too much growth hormone, which may have been due to a benign tumour. Chances are nobody else will ever grow to be so tall, because nowadays anyone with a similar condition would be treated with medication and/or surgery – however, no medical intervention had been discovered in Robert Wadlow's time. Doctors then knew of no way to stop him growing.
4. He ate around 8,000 calories a day. For breakfast, he'd eat eight Eggs, 12 slices of toast, several glasses of Orange juice, five cups of Coffee, and an unspecified amount of cereal.
5. He was a Freemason and reached the level of the degree of Master Mason at the age of 21. His Freemason ring was the largest ever made.
6. By the age of 13, he was wearing size 19 (US) Shoes. As he continued to grow, providing him with shoes became more and more difficult and expensive. In 1938, he did a promotional tour with the International Shoe Company which provided him with free shoes. During his appearances, he'd only ever wear his street clothes, because he saw himself as working in advertising rather than being part of a freak show. He travelled in a modified car in which the front seat had been removed, allowing him to sit in the back and stretch his legs out.
7. His hobbies were stamp collecting and photography. During his tours, he'd conceal a camera in his large hands and take pictures of the audience without them knowing.
8. Who was the world's tallest man before Robert Wadlow? It was a man called John Rogan, who lived in Tennessee. Rogan had died in 1905 aged 37, and was 8 feet 9.5 inches tall. Wadlow overtook him in 1939.
9. Being so tall took its toll on Wadlow's body, especially his legs and Feet. He suffered from poor circulation and lack of feeling in his lower limbs. He needed a leg brace to walk, and a walking cane nearly as tall as an average adult. He never used a wheelchair.
10. Because he couldn't feel his feet, if he suffered an injury he didn't always realise it. In 1940, the leg brace he was wearing irritated his ankle resulting in a blister which became infected. Despite the doctors' best efforts to treat him, he died 11 days later, at the age of 22. Even at the time of his death, he hadn't stopped growing. On the day of his funeral, all the shops closed as a mark of respect and over 40,000 people attended his funeral. 18 pallbearers were needed to carry his coffin.

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