If you're a fan of historical photography, then the popular Twitter page "History in Pictures" might be right up your alley.
Recently, the page shared a photo of Robert Wadlow, the tallest man in history, who measured in at a whopping 8 ft 11.1 in at his tallest.
Here he is standing next to a couple of very impressed (and much shorter) ladies:
Wadlow was born in 1918 in Alton, Illinois, with a rare disorder which caused his pituitary gland to work overtime well into adult, and let to his height (and subsequently, his weight) continuing to soar ever higher due an abundance of human growth hormone.
Here he is getting fitted for a suit:
Wadlow was taller than his 5'11" father by the time he was eight, with no signs of slowing down. After graduating high school in 1936 measuring in at 8'4", he enrolled in Shurtleff College to study law. Ultimately, however, he found fame by traveling around with the Ringling Brothers Circus, and became affectionately known as the "Alton Giant," the "Giant of Illinois," and the "Gentle Giant."
But sadly, Wadlow's increasing stature had a detrimental effect on his health, causing him to need leg braces in order to walk. Ultimately, the disorder that made him so famous eventually caused his early death at the age of 22, after an infection caused by a faulty leg brace spread and turn into an autoimmune disorder. He died just 11 days after being treated for the infection.
18 days before his death, he had been officially measured at 8'11" and a weight of 490 lbs.
For his funeral, a 10'9" coffin was built, and required 12 pallbearers to lift considering it weighed 1,000 lbs.
Now, a life-sized statue stands in Alton opposite the Alton Museum of Art and History. Other statues are housed at various Ripley's Believe it or Not Museums and Guinness Museums around the world.
Wadlow continues to impress people:
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