Facts You Don’t Know About The World’s Tallest Man Ever!
Nobody ever believed that giants do exist. But Guinness Book of World Records revealed that giants are real. Founders Norris and McWhirter then revealed the name of the tallest man every – Robert Wadlow.
Robert Wadlow, an American man was measured on June 27, 1940, and he stretched to an unbelievable height of 2.72 meters or 8 ft 11.1 in.!
Wadlow was born on February 22, 1918, to two regular-sized parents. He weighed 3.85 kg or 8.7 lb at birth. That is not quite a surprising weight for a newborn. But he then rapidly grew in height. When he was 5-years-old, Wadlow was already 1.63m or 5’4” in height. And by this time, this toddler was already wearing teenage clothes. At 8, he grew to a staggering 5’11” tall towering over his father and four younger siblings.
His incredible height at that time stirred a debate in the medical world. But nobody knew that he would still grow taller and taller. Even though people were talking, he did not let this stop him from getting involved in the activities that kids his age were doing. By 13, Wadlow became a Boy Scout using his customized uniform, sleeping bag, and tent. And when he reached 17, he became the tallest teenager at 2.45 m or 8’0.5” tall.
When he graduated from high school in 1936, Wadlow didn’t know that this would be the start of his celebrity career. He joined the hugely popular Ringling Brother Circus where he achieved worldwide fame. He took his success in stride and took advantage of it to earn money. Wadlow also toured with the International Show Company who custom-made shoes for him at his size of 47 cm or 18.5 ft, an equivalent of a US size 37AA, UK36, or European size 75.
So what made Robert Wadlow so tall?
According to the doctors who examined Wadlow, his exceptional size was caused by the hyperplasia of the pituitary gland, a condition that causes abnormally high levels of the human growth hormone. Back in the day, treatment for this condition was not yet that popular. So Wadlow was not treated to help stop his abnormal growth.
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