The sad and short life of Robert Wadlow, the tallest man in history – Market Research Telecast

Amazing detail that you will love. Humanity has always been fascinated with extremes. In the book of Guinness Records we can find from the most surreal landmarks to others somewhat absurd. One of the people featured in the book since its launch in 1955 is Robert Wadlow. its record: be the tallest man in the history. The last time it was measured on June 27, 1940, the American measured 2.72 meters. Unfortunately, very few know his sad story.

It all begins on February 22, 1918, when Addie Wadlow gave birth to a healthy 3-pound, 175-gram baby named Robert Pershing Wadlow in Alton, Illinois. Like the vast majority of babies, Wadlow began to grow throughout his first year of life. But unlike the common denominator, this began to grow exponentially. By the time he was 6 months old, he weighed 13.5 kilos. On his first birthday, he weighed 20.4 kilos and was 1 meter 2 centimeters tall.

When he was 5 years old, he was 1 meter 10 cm tall. tall and was already forced to wear teenage clothes. And by the time he was eight, he was taller than his dad. With a height of 1 meter 82 cm. when i was just a kid, Wadlow soon began to outperform the adults. At the elementary school he attended, they had to make a special folder for him according to his conditions.

At 13 years old, became the tallest Boy Scout in the world with 2 meters and 23 centimeters. And when he finished high school, he was 2 meters and 54 cm tall. But, to the surprise of many, it had not yet finished growing, and would eventually reach 2 meters and 72 centimeters in height. Even at the time of his death, his body was still growing and showing no signs of slowing down.

Doctors examined Wadlow several times and found that his growth was due to a pituitary gland hyperplasia. This unique diagnosis causes that there is an abnormally high level of growth hormone and in the case of the American he was never given any medical treatment to stop or keep this disorder under control.

If Wadlow had been born today, he probably would not have reached the height of more than two meters, since now modern medicine has developed surgeries and a series of medicines that can help stop this uncontrolled growth. But in those years, doctors did not even want to operate on Wadlow, since the treatments for such a diagnosis had not yet been developed.

Despite his height, his family helped him lead a fairly normal life. Wadlow was the oldest of five siblings, all of average height and weight. He graduated from Alton High School in 1936 and enrolled at Shutleff College with the intention of studying law, although he did not do well in law school. Eventually, he joined the Order of DeMolay and became a Freemason.

Although it was in good shape, it soon began to suffer from some problems. Due to his height, he suffered from lack of sensation in his legs and feet. This made him not notice when blisters or wounds appeared that became infected. Too needed braces for the legs and a cane to get around. Still, he preferred to walk alone and refused to use a wheelchair.

Due to the lack of sensation, Wadlow did not notice that one of his braces was rubbing his ankle. In 1940, Wadlow did not realize that a blister had formed on his leg. The wound progressed and soon became infected and Wadlow developed a high fever. When doctors came to his aid they resorted to a blood transfusion and emergency surgery.

Unfortunately, they were unable to save his life. His staggering height had left him with a weakened immune system, and he eventually succumbed to the infection. His last words were: The doctor says I wont be coming home for the celebration, referring to the golden wedding feast that is taking place for his grandparents. On July 15, 1940, Robert Wadlow died at 22 years old.

Only a couple of weeks before his departure, he had been measured for the last time, marking 2 meters and 72 cm. His body was buried in Alton, Illinois, his hometown. For his funeral services they had to make a coffin appropriate for his height. It took 18 people to carry his coffin. Eventually, he was interred at Oakwood Cemetery in Upper Alton, Madison County, Illinois.

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The sad and short life of Robert Wadlow, the tallest man in history - Market Research Telecast