Throughout history, mankind has alwaysstruck numerous stories and legends about mythical giants, people or deities that have reached incredible proportions. Although most of them are nothing more than legends, for example Goliath, the king of the OG or the Titans. Some of these myths are based on real facts. There are many records of incredibly tall people who lived in the past. Although some of them are highly exaggerated, many still rely on solid evidence. Robert Pershing Wadlow, also known as the Elton giant, was the tallest man in human history.
Необычный человек появился на свет, как и все other children, but later became famous throughout the world due to his unusual illness. Robert Pershing Wadlow was born, educated and buried in Alton, Illinois. He is known as the tallest man in history, due to his growth in the Guinness Book of Records. At birth, Robert weighed 3.6 kg. He attracted attention when in six months his weight reached 30 kilograms. A year later, at 18 months, he weighed 62 kilograms. He continued to grow at a surprisingly fast pace, reaching 183 cm and 88 kg when he was eight years old.
His second name, Pershing, he received in honor ofGeneral, who took part in the First World War. Robert was the first child of his parents, Addy and Harold. Later, two sisters appeared in the family, Helen and Betty, and two brothers, Eugene and Harold Jr. And all, except for Robert, were normal height and weight. Trying to lead a normal life, Robert enjoyed the collection of stamps and photographs.
He managed to become the highest in the worldBoy Scout, having a height of 2.14 m at the age of 13. At the age of 18 he reached 2.45 m in height and weighed 190 kg. For sewing his clothes, he needed three times as much tissue, and his huge size was worth about $ 100 per pair. When he was 20 years old, Robert was the representative of the shoe company, having visited more than 800 cities and 41 states. His father had to modify the family car, removing the front passenger seat so that Robert could comfortably sit on the back and extend his long legs. The team of father and son overcame more than 300,000 km during their goodwill tour for the shoe company. Robert was very fond of his mother, Addi, for which he received the nickname "gentle giant."
Robert Wadlow was born on February 22, 1918.in the American city of Alton. According to the latest measurements (June 27, 1940), it was established that the growth of this giant reached a mark of 2.72 meters. Death came to him on July 15, 1940 in a hotel in Manistee, Michigan. He died at the age of 22 as a result of a purulent infection on his right ankle. His maximum recorded weight was more than 222 kilograms, and at 21 years his weight reached 199 kg. His shoe size was 37AA (47 cm), the length of the palm was 32.4 cm. Robert wore a ring of the 25th size. The range of arms reached 2.88 m, and its peak daily diet included about 8,000 kcal. At the age of 9, this mighty and tall sturdy man could take Harold Wadlow, his father, whose height was 1.8 meters, and weight 77 kg, and raise him up the ladder of the parents' house.
Robert Wadlow, whose growth not only achievedhuge, by human standards, sizes, but also continued to increase in adulthood, suffered from hypertrophy of the pituitary gland, which led to an abnormally high level of human growth hormone. The giant continued to grow until his death. Large dimensions had a negative impact on health: he had to walk, leaning on a cane, as his legs and feet ached. Despite this, Robert Wadlow was never chained to a wheelchair. At one time he was among the most popular American celebrities. The American tour with the Circle of the Ringling brothers circulated widely in 1936. He took part in various excursions and numerous public appearances.
July 4, 1940, during hisprofessional performance at the national forest festival, poorly fixed bandage strongly rubbed Robert's ankles, causing purulent blisters, which eventually led to the infection of wounds. An urgent operation and a blood transfusion was performed, but it was not possible to save him. His condition worsened, and on July 15, 1940, he died in a dream. He was only 22. About 40,000 people took part in the funeral, which took place on July 19. He was buried in a coffin that weighed half a ton. It took 12 porters to carry it. Robert Wadlow, the tallest man in the world, was buried in a crypt of monolithic concrete.
In 1985, at the University of Southern Illinois, inSchool of Dentistry in Edwardsville, was erected a bronze statue of Robert Wadlow in full size. In full growth it can be seen also among other incredible exhibits in the world famous Guinness World Records Hall at the Empire State Building in New York.
