Robert Pershing Wadlow
"World's Tallest Man"
1918 – 1940
![Robert Wadlow](images/robert_wadlow.jpg)
Robert Pershing Wadlow was the first born to Harold F. and Addie Wadlow in Alton, Illinois on Feb. 22, 1918. Alton, Illinois is located twenty five miles north of St Louis on the Mississippi River, located near the confluence of the Mississippi, Illinois, and Missouri Rivers. Robert was a normal sized baby at eight pounds and six ounces
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Robert, age 10, and
his father Harold
but he quickly began to grow due to an over active pituitary gland. At six months, he weighed 30 pounds. A year later, he weighed 62 pounds. When he was eight years old, Robert had grown to 6' and weighed 169 pounds.
The Wadlow family later grew with the addition of two sisters, Helen and Betty, and two brothers, Eugene and Harold Jr.. Robert's siblings fortunately did not have the same growth problems he did. Robert grew up in a normal family during the tough times of the great depression with parents who loved their children.
Life changed when Robert was nine. Due to Robert's rare and unwieldy stature, Robert Wadlow was sensationalized during the 1920's and 1930's. Newsreel photographers and newspaper reporters came and documented him for the masses. Before long, he was known around the world. People flocked to Alton to see the "giant boy" themselves. Some behaved respectfully, some did not. Circuses still recruited people with deformities to be in freak shows at this time. Offers came in for Robert to go on display because of his remarkable height. His family wanted nothing to do with this.
On Jan 25, 1930, Robert Wadlow, 11 years old was examined for the first time by Washington University specialists at Barnes Hospital in St.Louis, where the family first learned of his over active pituitary gland that caused his fast growth.
As a youth Robert's interests were typical of most boy's of his age. He enjoyed photography, reading, collecting stamps, and listening to the radio. In school he maintained good grades, got along with others, and played with other children.
At eleven years Robert joined the Alton YMCA, participating in swimming, basketball, stamp collecting and camera club.
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Boy Scout Troop
At the age of 13, he joined the Boy Scouts. Robert was the largest Boy Scout in the world. His weight was 270 pounds, and his height was 7'4". It took 14 yards of 36" wide material to make his Boy Scout uniform.
Robert Wadlow, joined the Freemason youth club and became a member of Alton Chapter, Order of DeMolay at fifteen, the minimum age one could join.
He was active in DeMolay and attended