Robert Wadlow

AKA:

Alton's Gentle Giant

Birth Name:

Robert Pershing Wadlow

Birth Date:

February 22, 1918

Birth Place:

Alton, Illinois

Death Date:

July 15, 1940

Place of Death:

Hotel Chippewa, Manistee, Michigan

Age:

Cause of Death:

Wound infection

Cemetery Name:

Upper Alton Cemetery

Claim to Fame:

The Odd and the Interesting

Robert Pershing Wadlow, also known as Alton's Gentle Giant and the Giant of Illinois, was an American man who was the tallest person in recorded history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. He was born and raised in Alton, Illinois, a small city near St. Louis, Missouri. His great size and his continued growth in adulthood were due to hypertrophy of his pituitary gland, which results in an abnormally high level of human growth hormone (HGH). By the time of his graduation from Alton High School in 1936, he was 8 feet 4 inches tall and measured almost 9 feet tall at the time of his death. Wadlow became a celebrity after his 1936 U.S. tour with the Ringling Brothers Circus, appearing at Madison Square Garden and the Boston Garden in the center ring (never in the sideshow). During his appearances, he dressed in his everyday clothes and refused the circus's request that he wear a top hat and tails. In 1938, he began a promotional tour with the International Shoe Company, which provided him shoes free of charge, again only in his everyday street clothes. Wadlow saw himself as working in advertising, not exhibiting as a freak. He possessed great physical strength until the last few days of his life. He was buried at Alton Cemetery (aka Oakwood Cemetery) in Alton, Illinois.

Robert Pershing Wadlow by the numbers:

Height – 8 feet 11.1 inches
Weight – 439 lbs
Shoe Size – 37AA
Hand Size – 12.5 inches
Ring Size – 25
Coffin – 10 foot 9 inch long steel coffin that weighed 1,000 lbs
Pallbearers – 20 men

The life-sized bronze statue of Robert Wadlow was sculpted by Edward Englehardt Giberson and stands across the street from the Alton Museum of History and Art. A bronze chair, replicated after his seat at the Masonic Lodge, sits beside the statue.

The Wadlow Family Home is located at 2810 College Avenue in Alton, Illinois.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Upper Alton Cemetery

2090 Oakwood Avenue

Alton, Illinois, 62002

USA

North America

Map:

Map of Upper Alton Cemetery (aka Oakwood Cemetery) in Alton, Illinois

Grave Location:

Section 4

Grave Location Description

There are several gates available to enter this cemetery (also known as Oakwood Cemetery). If you enter through Gate #6 drive ahead to the first intersection and turn right on Cole Drive. Continue straight ahead through 4 intersections and park your car at Cole Drive and Jackson Drive. The World’s Tallest Man is buried beneath the tall 7-foot obelisk with several other Wadlow family members about 4 monuments from the road.

Grave Location GPS

38.915915053692466, -90.15598856552067

Photos:

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FAQ's

Robert Wadlow was born on February 22, 1918.

Robert Wadlow was born in Alton, Illinois.

Robert Wadlow died on July 15, 1940.

Robert Wadlow died in Hotel Chippewa, Manistee, Michigan.

Robert Wadlow was 22.

The cause of death was Wound infection.

Robert Wadlow's grave is in Upper Alton Cemetery

Videos Featuring Robert Wadlow:

The "Alton Giant" - World's Tallest Man

The Tragic Giant - dead at 22. Robert Wadlow almost 9 feet tall

The Story of Robert Wadlow Documentary

Robert Wadlow Ripley's Believe It or Not Interview! (1937)

Robert Wadlow, Tallest Man Ever: Life in Photos

Tallest man ever Robert Wadlow’s height in every year of his life

Robert Wadlow Is The Tallest Man In The World Standing 7 Feet Tall At Age 12

Watch YouTube video titled Robert Wadlow,

Robert Wadlow