History:World tallest man
Photographed is Robert Pershing Wadlow, the tallest man in history. Born on February 22, 1918 in Alton Illinois he was a normal size baby at birth, it was around 6 months where Roberts parents realized something was off when he weighed 30 pounds, which is double the average weight of a normal 6 month old. When Robert entered Kindergarten he was 5’7” and wore cloths that would fit a 17 year boy.
By the time he was 8 he was taller than his own father at 6 foot, and weighed in at 169 pounds. He would continue to grow due to a tumor on his pituitary, his parents were told that there could be an operation done on Robert to possibly fix his growth but it could’ve caused permanent injury or death, so religiously inclined his parents let nature take its course. Robert loved to collect stamps and photography as hobbies. He entered high school at 7’5”, and left high school at 8’4”. He played sports such as football, baseball, and basketball. In basketball he would stand under the net and dunk the ball when his teammates passed the ball down to him. When he graduated he enrolled in college for law but couldn’t do more than one semester because the icy walkways made it hard for him to walk.
He had to get custom made shoes and eventually worked for the company that manufactured his shoes, they went all across the country meeting celebrities and sports figures. While in a parade in Manistee Michigan, he was complaining that he wasn’t feeling good, when he came back from the parade to the hotel it was learned he had an infection from a poorly fitted ankle brace, they were used to help him walk. After having a 106° temperature and minor surgery, Robert passed away at 1:30 A.M, he was 8’11.1” and 491 lbs. At his funeral in Alton, it took 18 men to carry his specially made 1,000 pound casket and now he rests in his home town of Alton. He holds the record of worlds tallest man for the past 80 years.
Source: History in pictures
By the time he was 8 he was taller than his own father at 6 foot, and weighed in at 169 pounds. He would continue to grow due to a tumor on his pituitary, his parents were told that there could be an operation done on Robert to possibly fix his growth but it could’ve caused permanent injury or death, so religiously inclined his parents let nature take its course. Robert loved to collect stamps and photography as hobbies. He entered high school at 7’5”, and left high school at 8’4”. He played sports such as football, baseball, and basketball. In basketball he would stand under the net and dunk the ball when his teammates passed the ball down to him. When he graduated he enrolled in college for law but couldn’t do more than one semester because the icy walkways made it hard for him to walk.
He had to get custom made shoes and eventually worked for the company that manufactured his shoes, they went all across the country meeting celebrities and sports figures. While in a parade in Manistee Michigan, he was complaining that he wasn’t feeling good, when he came back from the parade to the hotel it was learned he had an infection from a poorly fitted ankle brace, they were used to help him walk. After having a 106° temperature and minor surgery, Robert passed away at 1:30 A.M, he was 8’11.1” and 491 lbs. At his funeral in Alton, it took 18 men to carry his specially made 1,000 pound casket and now he rests in his home town of Alton. He holds the record of worlds tallest man for the past 80 years.
Source: History in pictures
