Stories about giants have been around for thousands of years. Today, 94 years ago, a verifiable giant was born in Alton, Illinois, USA.
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| Robert Wadlow and his father |
Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 – July 15, 1940) was a man who, to this day, is the tallest person in medical history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. He is often known as the "Alton Giant" because of his Alton, Illinois hometown. He weighed just under nine pounds (4 kilograms) and was of normal length when he was born on February 22, 1918, but had already reached a height of over five feet (1.6 meters) by the time he was four years old, and he never stopped growing. Robert was a victim of hypertrophy of his pituitary gland, which resulted in an abnormally high level of human growth hormone.
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| Robert Standing next to brother. 1936 |
There was no indication of an end to his growth even at the time of his death. A mere eighteen days prior to his death on June 27, 1940, he was measured at 8 feet 11.1 inches (272 cm) by doctors C. M. Charles and Cyril MacBryde of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In his later years he needed to wear leg braces in order to walk, he had little feeling in his legs and feet. Despite these complications, however, Robert was never confined to a wheelchair. He wore a size 25 shoe (American).
On July 4, 1940, while making a professional appearance at the National Forest Festival, a faulty brace irritated his ankle, causing a blister which became infected. Doctors treated him with a blood transfusion and emergency surgery, but his condition worsened and on July 15, 1940, he died in his sleep. He was only 22 years old.
Robert Wadlow's growth chart
| Age | Height |
| 8 | 6ft (182 cm) |
| 10 | 6ft 6in (198 cm) 220 pounds (100 kg) |
| 14 | 7ft 4in (224cm) |
| 16 | 7ft 10.5in (240 cm) 365 pounds (166kg) |
| 17 | 8ft 1.5in (248 cm) 400 pounds (180 kg) |
| 18 | 8 ft 4 in (254 cm) 390 pounds (177kg) |
| 22 (on birthday) | 8ft9.5in (268 cm) 491 pounds (223kg) |
| 22 (time of death) | 8ft 11.1in (272 cm) 490 pounds (222kg) |
40,000 people signed the memorial book at his funeral on July 19. He was buried in a half-ton coffin carried by 12 pallbearers, and was interred within a vault of solid concrete. It was believed that Robert Wadlow's family were concerned for the sanctity of his body after his death, and went to these lengths of security to ensure it would never be disturbed or stolen.
For more photos of Robert Wadlow, click here.
For more videos: Click here
Stephen Quayle has an excellent website with information on giants.
(For link click on the photo)
The man in the center stands six feet tall (circa 1894).
Below George Noory interviews Stephen Quayle.
Below are more photos of assorted giants both past and present.
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| Giant in Afghanistan with US soldier |
Click any of the above photos for link to more.
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| Nine foot skeleton of giant found in Utah grave. |
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| Drawing of male giant mummy found in Utah |
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| Drawing of female giant mummy found in Utah |
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| Copper seals of giants found in Utah |
The late Glen Kimball chronicles numerous reports of giants throughout history (click his photo for the link).
Many Native American peoples have tales of giants that have been handed down through the generations.
Wow, you do find some interesting stuff!
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