Robert had little sensation in his feet. One doctor who examined him estimated that it was at least 18 inches long when flaccid, and possibly much longer when erect. Also Known As: Robert Pershing Wadlow, Alton Giant, Giant of Illinois. Photo By David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com. Many of his days, however, were spent facing crowds. Robert attended services at Main Street Methodist church and helped raise money for a new organ by sending an autographed photo to contributors. While there is no concrete evidence to support this claim, it is based on the fact that Wadlow was an extremely tall man; his height was 8'11" and his weight was 420 pounds. At age 13, he became the Worlds Tallest Boy Scout at 7 feet, 4 inches, and had a uniform specially made for him. At his heaviest, Robert weighed 223 kilograms (492 lb). At the time, she was 7 feet 7 inches tall and was the worlds tallest woman. On that same trip, he visited the giant sequoias in California and loved it. When he was 5 years old, he was 5-feet, 4-inches tall and weighed 105 pounds, and wore clothes that would fit an older teenage boy. He wears size 25 shoes, made to order. Upon examining Robert, he discovered that his new iron brace, which had been fitted a week earlier, had created a large blister on his right ankle that would normally have been painful, if not for Roberts poor sensation in his lower extremities. Loeb 117, p. 83. He is one of only 10 people known to have ever topped 8 feet, according to the New York Daily News. For one, Robert required a lot of food. His casket protruded two feet from the rear of the hearse, and the extension was covered in black velvet for the trip to the cemetery. The only time he really got frustrated was when he appeared in crowds, and people would poke his shins to see if he was wearing stilts. In 1937, Roberts parents made plans to build him a house scaled for his tremendous size. 16. For example, Iceland has the tallest women, at 168cm (5ft 6in), while Ecuador has the shortest women, at 149cm (4ft 11in). The JAMA write-up described Robert as surly, apathetic, antagonistic, and vapid, among other things. While there is no way to know for sure how big Wadlows penis was, it is safe to say that it was probably larger than average. Of course, the Wadlows were disappointed, but Robert Wadlow had to make a living. Wadlow signed with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1937, making brief appearances in a circus ring as an announcer introduced him. Being the tallest person who ever lived, however, wasnt always easy. Thats longer than an iPhone! He required leg braces when walking and had little feeling in his legs and feet but did not for once use a wheelchair. 54. At birth, Robert Wadlow was of normal size and weight: 8 pounds, 6 ounces, according to his hometown Alton Museum of History. 26. In September 2018, the Guinness World Records officially recognized Keita Ito as the worlds tallest living man, measuring in at 2.36 meters (7 feet, 9 inches). . Meet Robert Wadlow, The Tallest Man To Ever Live - All That's Interesting He would have turned 100 years old this past Feb. 22. Harold Wadlow Jr. died at the age of 68. One day in the classroom he fell and hit his head and he cried, Kelly recalls. However, Wadlow did not need any wheelchair. Fearing souvenir hunters or the morbidly curious would exhume the corpse, his father had his sons burial vault sealed off with concrete. We'll use the information you provide us to contact you via email about our relevant content, products and services. In 1985, a life-size statue was constructed at the Southern Illinois University of Dental Medicine in Alton. Wadlows large penis also contributed to his height; because it was so long, it weighed down on his spine and stunted his growth. Robert met Walt Disney at a convention of the DeMolay Founders Conference in Kansas City. He was the oldest of five children. They lost the suit. One year before his death, Robert Wadlow broke the record of the tallest man recorded at that time, John Rogan, by surpassing his height. The record was set with 1,202 participants. Though it doesn't hold an official Guinness World Record, the largest condiment sachet was unveiled in 2007at Son of Life Church in Collinsville. Robert Wadlow died in his sleep at 1:30 AM on July 15, 1940. Other statues of the well-known celebrity stand in many of Ripley's Believe It or Not Museums and also in the Guinness Museums. 20. 30 years ago, Tim Leone released a revised edition of his 1975 documentary, 'The Story of Robert'. Besides these, a picture of Wadlow and his family is depicted on the back cover of the Video Home System version of the Talking Heads music video compilation, Storytelling Giant.. Thirty years before Johnny Cash's performances at Folsom Prison, the "Alton Giant" visited the prison while touring the west coast. He weighed 3.85 kilograms at the time of birth. The defense also brought into court two towering men. When he was 14, Robert stumbled only slightly while pushing a boy on a tricycle, but doing so still broke two bones in his feet. 37. Sultan Kosen, 30, who stands at a massive 8 feet, 3 inches tall, said while he couldn't find a woman close to his height, he was thrilled to have met 20-year-old Merve Dibo. He was bred in the little town of Alton, Illinois, which is located close to St. Louis, Missouri. Here's why the tallest man alive grew to be three feet above - FOX 2 Wadlow continued touring and making public appearances until the last year of his life during which his health started deteriorating rapidly. The meter was originally conceived as the length of a prototype rod that would be precisely one ten-millionth of the length of the quadrant along Earths meridian. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 4 killed, 4 critically injured in crash at South Grand Boulevard and Forest Park Avenue, Parents push back on allegations against St. Louis transgender center. There is a mention of Wadlow in a historical timeline of Alton in the waiting and reception area. Compared to his contemporaries he still stood far taller than most other giants in his era. Screencapture via stltoday.newspapers.com. A ring replica is in the Alton Museum of History and Art and in a display case at Maneke Jewelers in Upper Alton, near the temple. Jessica is the daughter of Julie and Dan Harder of Alton, and Drew is the son of Sheila and Dean Emerick of Bethalto, Illinois. Phone: (800) 258-6645. In this 1936 photo, he poses with his family in Alton. The family chose not to appeal.[8]. On Sept. 27, 2014, 1,132 people gathered at Lyons Memorial Stadium in Kirkwood and patted their heads and rubbed their stomachs for more than a minute. Is there anybody taller than Robert Wadlow? - Quora "I am the happiest man in the world," Kosen was quoted as saying on the website of the state-run Anatolia news agency. Post-Dispatch file photo. siblings: Betty Jean, Eugene Harold, Helen and Harold Franklin Wadlow Jr. place of death: Manistee, Michigan, United States, Cause of Death: Complications Of An Autoimmune Disorder, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1590/robert-pershing-wadlow, https://www.demilked.com/tag/robert-wadlow/, https://www.bnd.com/living/magazine/article200930159.html, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjl8u4kiglg, https://www.vintag.es/2017/07/robert-wadlow-worlds-tallest-man-in.html, http://amazing-everything.wikia.com/wiki/Robert_Wadlow, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/585679126515602394/. At each location, a hand-painted rock with the image of Wadlow will be hidden, and the first person to find the rock gets to keep it. Hubbard visited the museum with his wife Julie. There are numerous accounts of people who saw Robert Wadlow naked or partially clothed, and all attest to the fact that he had an exceptionally large penis. He tipped the scales at 177 kilograms (391 lb). Robert Pershing Wadlow. One thing was beyond dispute: Wadlow perennially outgrew his clothing, and the replacement cost escalated accordingly. The Impact of His Affliction. Archive photo by Jim Rackwitz, Robert Wadlow at the Veiled Prophet Parade and festivities in 1937 where a curious crowd swarmed. Lots of people were. He wore US size 37AA shoes (UK size 36; EU size 75), equivalent to 18.5 in (47 cm) long. 99. You should have seen the crowd. Robert Wadlow was the tallest recorded person in history. In pickup basketball games, players would feed him the ball, and he would drop it through the net. Robert died in 1940 at the age of 22 after his foot became infected. The world's biggest pencil was moved into the third floor of the City Museum in 2009 after being donated the previous year. Follow the #RememberingWadlow hashtag and post with it to share photos and stories on social media. He became a member of Altons Franklin Masonic Temple in 1939, and his size 25 ring was the largest Masonic ring ever made. This statue is located opposite to the Alton Museum of History and Art. Outside of here, he was a spectacle. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com, John Hubbard of St. Louis compares the size of his hand to a mold of the Alton Gentle Giant's hand, which is part of the Alton Museum of History display on the life of Robert Pershing Wadlow on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018. It was simply addressed 8 foot, 3 inches, Alton, Illinois., Jessica Harder, 13, (from left) and Drew Emerick, 9, play on a replica of a chair built to fit of Robert Wadlow, the Alton Giant. The community embraced him. Beyond his record, he will be remembered as a gentle soul who overcame tremendous adversity and brought joy to all those who met him. His penis size was not unusually large or small. Parents. 32. Meanwhile, Jyoti Amge from India is only 62.8cm (2ft 0.6in) tall but she lives in a cold climate. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, By Valerie Schremp Hahn (Anadolu/Getty Images). At just 5 feet, 7 inches tall, Dibo barely reaches Kosen's waist. For one, he was constantly teased and ridiculed by his peers. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com, Standing 6 feet 8 inches, John Hubbard of St. Louis stands in front a 7-foot 4-inch silhouette of the Alton's Gentle Giant (his height when he was 13) during a visit to the Alton Museum of History display on the life of Robert Wadlow on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018, in Alton. Are you tall, short, or somewhere in between? The tallest living human being is Sultan Kosen, 35, of Turkey, who measures 8 feet 2.8 inches. The Vintage Tribune newsletter is a deep dive into the Chicago Tribune's archives featuring photos and stories about the people, places and events that shape the city's past, present and future. The world's tallest man has gotten married, towering more than 2 feet over his new bride. Edward Ball Taber . Most boys stop growing around age 16, give or take. I said, I have this buddy whos kind of tall. He said Robert was always a gentleman and had a fine sense of humor. Robert Wadlow. 80. An average cheetah litter size is three to four cubs. Robert Wadlow Height, Weight, Age, Wife, Kids, Biography - Dreshare He was entombed in a reinforced concrete vault to ensure nobody would dig up his body for experimentation, a fear that he and his family always had. In 1938, Robert and his father took a trip out west and to the California coast, including Hollywood. Last chance! Wadlow traveled in cars that had the front passenger seat removed. She died in 1999 in a car accident in Madagascar. Robert Wadlow dating history Relationships. He was born and raised in Alton, Illinois, a small city near St. Louis, Missouri.[1]. Robert Wadlow, 17, of Alton, Illinois, holds open the door of a taxicab for his father, Harold, at Union Station after their arrival in Chicago on Jan. 5, 1936. At age nine, Robert was able to carry his father up a flight of stairs. Robert Wadlow, the Tallest Man Ever, Should've Been Nine Feet Tall There was always the danger of chairs breaking under his weight. He died of an infection at age 22. From left are father Harold Sr., siblings Eugene, Betty, Harold Jr. and Helen, and mother Addie. She is also the mother of Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, the only child of the well-celebrated wrestler. Humberd derided Robert as having defective attention and stated, All functions that we attribute to the highest centers in the frontal lobes are languid and blurred., The Wadlows decided to sue Humberd for libel. While there is no concrete evidence to support this claim, it is based on the fact that Wadlow was an extremely tall man; his height was 811 and his weight was 420 pounds. Robert Wadlow became a celebrity after he toured with the Ringling Brothers Circus in the USA in 1936. He was taken to a hotel; doctors said his bulk made transporting him to a hospital too risky. He also holds the world record for the largest hands ever (12.75 inches from the wrist to the tip of his middle finger). Looking out the window at the crowd hoping to see Wadlow, the judge said: Our public is waiting.. Archive photo By David Carson. This was the 19th annual pet parade, sponsored by Nestl Purina PetCare Co. Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com, The largest litter of cheetah cubs born in captivity were born at the St. Louis Zoo on Nov. 26, 2017. It replaces another king piece that stood at the spot, which was 14 feet, 7 inches tall. At six months, he weighed 30 pounds. When he came to St. Joseph for the 1939 trial, a carpenter partially took apart two beds to combine them. Robert is standing with his father and manager, Harold Wadlow, left . Facts about Robert Wadlow 8: a celebrity. In Waynesboro, Virginia, Wadlow mounted a flatbed truck outside the White Bros. department store for a crowd of spectators. Unfortunately, theres no easy answer. The Alton Giant, as he was called, stood 272 centimeters (811) tall. I guess nobody is going to be that tall anymore, he said. The Alton museum contains a shoe display case with display instructions from the Peters Shoe Co. His body basically grew itself to death. After he graduated from school in 1936, Wadlow attended Shurtleff College to study law. Robert was considered a giant. Robert Wadlow lived from 1918 to 1940 and was measured at an amazing 8 11.1 for his maximum height, which was done only a few weeks before his untimely death. 17. So many people filed through the funeral home that workers there had to replace the carpet. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. 6 oz. The other lawsuits were dismissed. More than 41,000 visitors passed through Streeper Funeral Home (now Elias-Smith Funeral Home) over two days. The doors would have been 2.7 meters (9 ft) high, the ceilings would have been 3.4 meters (11 ft), and even the stairs would have measured 0.6 meters (2 ft). As one of its rebuttal witnesses, the defense called Morris Fishbein, editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association. World's TALLEST MAN to have ever lived! Editor's note: This historical print shows damage. Loeb 352, p. 553. The Alton Giant, 22 years old and still growing, had reached 272 centimeters (811). The longest civil case a jury heard was at the St. Clair County Courthouse, concerning an alleged toxic chemical spill in Sturgeon, Mo., in 1970. The inches are then added to this total to get the final height. Wadlow and his father made appearances all over the country for Peters Shoe Co., visiting more than 800 towns in 41 states. He was born and raised in Alton, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. ", Three-foot 6-inch Dalton Crabtree, 5, from Centralia, plays with the statue of 8-foot 11-inch Robert Wadlow in Alton after his dentist appointment on Tuesday, April 12, 2005. Robert Wadlow was born on February 22, 1918 in Alton, Illinois to Addie and Harold Franklin. On June 27, 1940, Roberts height was measured. He had to crouch to get into the voting booth, and his head and shoulders projected over the top. Robert was a member of the Order of DeMolay as a teenager, a service organization administered by the Masons. Robert Wadlow sued Dr. Charles Humberd for libeling him in an article for the Journal for the American Medical Association. He was the tallest man ever, standing at just over 272cm. Throughout history, people have always been fascinated with the extreme, bizarre, and unusual. On one such occasion in 1932, aged 14, Robert was brought to the hospital after slipping into a slight dip in the street whilst playing with a friend. Humberd then trashed Robert in a paper published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Daniel Marin anchors KXAN as legendary Robert Hadlock retires Archive photo by Teak Phillips, Doug Smith, of Alton, grasps the hand on the statue of Robert Pershing Wadlow while posing for a self-portrait on Wednesday in Alton in July 1999. Sadly, Wadlows large size came with some health complications. Did Robert Wadlow Have A Wife? - vimbuzz.com By the time Robert was eight, few stores had clothes that would fit him properly, and he became a regular customer for tailors. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time by visiting our unsubscribe page and providing your email address. He was a normal-sized baby, and why not? The seven-person automobile effectively became a three-seater.[6]. This definition was adopted in 1889 and is used today. A replica of the chair was placed next to the statue of Robert in 2002, and visitors can sit in it. Women have to be 5 feet 10 inches and men 6 feet 2 inches to join. )Nowadays the book's "records" can border on the absurd, like loudest burp or longest human tunnel traveled through by a skateboarding dog, but World's Tallest Man . One of the areas first websites, altonweb.com, went live in 1995 and featured Robert Wadlow. Guinness World Records Kids (opens in a new window), GWR Merchandise Store (opens in a new window), Corporate Social Responsibility activities & fundraising ideas, Community engagement & tourism marketing activities. People often came not because they were thirsty, but because they wanted to see Robert. Robert Pershing Wadlow was born on February 22, 1918, in Alton, Illinois, a town along the Mississippi River not far from St. Louis. Biography of Robert Pershing Wadlow from Madison County, Illinois (Gamma-Keystone), Afterward, Humberd pronounced Robert Wadlow colossal and stupendous in bulk, truly Gargantuan in all his proportions.. If he would have lived, he would have turned 100 on Feb. 22. The Alton and Illinois monikers reflect the fact that he was born and grew up in Alton, Illinois.Wadlow reached 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m) in height and . Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Robert Wadlow, World's Tallest Man, Alton Illinois", "On This Day in 1918: The tallest man in the world is born", "Alton Museum of History and Art - Robert Pershing Wadlow - Alton's Gentle Giant", "Measuring 8 ft 11 inches, Wadlow was the tallest man in history. When Robert Wadlow reached his full height of 811, his penis was a whopping 12 inches long. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our. Born in Alton, Illinois, with normal height and weight at birth, an overactive pituitary gland led to his extraordinary growth. Robert Wadlow - The Sad Life Of The Tallest Man Ever Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 - July 15, 1940), also known as the Alton Giant and the Giant of Illinois, is the tallest person in history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. 36. When he was a teenager, he and his brother and sister started a soft drink stand in their front yard. Robert was buried in Altons Oakwood Cemetery. The 450-kilogram (1,000 lb) casket required 18 pallbearers and stuck out from the back of the hearse carrying it, necessitating a black cloth to be draped over the vehicles doors to cover the remainder. Read more about the catsup bottle and other big things in St. Louis here. Born on February 12, 1918, in Alton, Illinois he lived until he was only 22 years old before passing away on July 15, 1940. He died in 2015. We have estimated Robert Wadlow's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets. Brother of Helen Ione Wadlow; Robert Wadlow, Tallest Man in the World; Betty Jean Wadlow; Harold Franklin Wadlow, Jr and Helen . Photo courtesy of Steve Cox, "He's tall," said Jessa Price, 7, plays on the life-size statue of Alton's Gentle Giant Robert Pershing Wadlow as her grandmother takes photos on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018, in Alton. From left are father Harold Sr., siblings Eugene, Betty, Harold Jr. and Helen, and mother Addie. In fact, it is believed that his penis was the largest in the world, measuring an astounding 9 inches in length and 6 inches in circumference. Robert Wadlow | Infoplease On July 4, Robert appeared at the National Forest Festival in Manistee, Michigan, and walked in a parade. However, based on the available evidence, it is safe to say that Robert Wadlows penis was significantly above average in size. Robert Wadlow demonstrates he is nearly as tall as this New York stoplight in April 1937. He weighed 8 lbs. He faced problems since the start due . In the first few years of Roberts life his family briefly lived in Alton; Charleston, W.Va.; Grafton and then for six years in Roxana, where he started elementary school. 47. Many are not but all are worthy of a look a. The Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri collected the largest donation of personal hygiene products that year: 1,415,702 items, to be exact. In this photo, provided by Uranus, Keen (in red cap) poses with his family. To this day, Robert Wadlow remains the tallest human to have ever lived and his record is considered to be unbreakable. Sultan Kosen suffers from pituitary gigantism and stands 8-foot-3 he also stands head and shoulders above his wedding guests. Freeze shoots your train up a loop, up a tower and back again. He once said, I am sure people stare at me because of my height and my large penis. What he didnt know he was the apple of mine, he told writer Dan Brannan for the book, Boy Giant.. In the lobby, a mob awaited Wadlow, as did a traffic jam on the streets of St. Joseph, Missouri. This giant has received much newspaper and magazine publicity; my clippings about and photographs of him, over a period of eight years, fill two large scrapbooks, Humberd wrote in an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Robert Waldow, as he was commonly known, enrolled in Shurtleff College with the intention of studying law. Robert Wadlow: 100 facts the gentle giant of Alton, Illinois Robert was a very big man, and he needed some very big items for day-to-day life. Robert Wadlow: The tallest man in history seen through stunning They made more than $100 one summer. 5. I thought it over long ago and decided to ignore them. (Acme photo). Outside his hometown, he couldnt walk far without a group of onlookers accumulating and invariably stepping on his feet as they drew close. In the journal article, Humberd offered his observations. 87. His family moved back to Alton and Robert attended Milton elementary school. When the world's tallest man visited Folsom Prison - Inside CDCR There are exceptions to these trends, of course. He also expressed doubt on various teachers claims that Robert was intelligent. Nearly knocked me out, I guess, he said. Little did they know their precious son would grow . Robert Wadlow Statue - World's Tallest Man - Great Rivers & Routes It was 10 inches high, 9 inches wide, and 5 feet, 10 inches in circumference when it was measured on June 29, 2015. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. [1] He enrolled in Shurtleff College with the intention of studying law. Wadlow weighed 439 lbs. WHAT MAKES A GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS TITLE? 70. If he would have lived longer, he would have turned 100 on Feb. 22. A new, 20 foot tall king chess piece stands outside the World Chess Hall of Fame, Thursday, April 12, 2018, in the Central West End. That's amazing in itself but even more interesting was that at the time of his death he showed no signs of stopping in terms of growth. By the time he was a teenager, his penis was 9 inches long and 6 inches in circumference. Guinness World Records recognizes Robert Wadlow as the tallest human ever for whom there are indisputable, documented measurements. Robert Wadlow of Alton, IL, and his father, Harold Wadlow, shown in their arrival in Chicago to visit the National Shoe Fair, where the boy looked. So how tall is Professor Live? In the year 2005, popular singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens recorded his song "The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders" for the Illinois album in order to honor the Alton Giant. It opened in September. The Wadlow family poses together in 1935: brother Eugene, Addie (his mother), Robert, Harold Jr., sister Betty, Harold Sr. (his father) and sister Helen. Robert Wadlow (born February 22, 1918 - died on July 15, 1940) was a native of America. 86. He liked to eat but didnt have an appetite that was much bigger than anyone else, despite articles that widely exaggerated it. Robert Wadlow's income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. The tallest man to ever live was named Robert Wadlow. Robert Fulton WADLOW from tree Legate family tree 2018. He was the oldest of five children. His middle name, Pershing, was after the World War I General John J. Pershing, who was the commanding officer of the European conflict. Nobody could've anticipated that the seemingly normal baby boy will grow up to be the world's tallest man, often nicknamed Alton Giant or the Giant of Illinois. She died at age 91. This is due to the simple fact that he was an extremely tall man with an above-average weight. Known as "The Alton Giant," he was born in Alton, Illinois, on February 12, 1918. Post-Dispatch file photo, Curt Rommerskirchen, of Pocahontas, Ill., compares his shoes to the size 37 1/2 boats of Robert Pershing Wadlow, on Wednesday, July 14, 1999. Robert had been unaware of the wound due to the lack of sensation in his bodys extremities. The Bigfoot #1, as it was known, crushed two cars in a field outside St. Louis in April 1981, the first recorded monster truck crash. Did Robert Wadlow Have A Wife? Photo courtesy of Steve Cox, Robert Wadlow's grave. When he was 20, he found a useful arrangement as a paid spokesman for the International Shoe Company, which also agreed to build his $100 shoes for free. Robert was said to be well-behaved in school and smart for his age. Robert Wadlow, center, at 8 feet, 8 1/4 inches, stands with his family on his 21st birthday in 1939. 41. He lived from 1918 to 1940 (missed both World Wars) so homes would have probably have had a higher ceiling. Robert Wadlow was buried in a 10-foot long steel casket that required 18 pallbearers on July 19, 1940. We also see that people living in colder climates tend to be taller than those living in warmer climates. February 22, 1918 - July 15, 1940. The world's tallest man, Robert Wadlow, 19, chats with a friend after a charity event, Omaha, Nebraska, 1937. "He always wants to stop and see the big guy," said Dalton's mother Jennifer Crabtree. 39. Sources include: The Alton Museum of History and Art, The Gentleman Giant by Frederick Fadner and Boy Giant by Dan Brannan. Even if we take Live at his word and assume that he really is 2.43 meters tall, this still wouldnt make him the tallest person who has ever lived. They said the doctor described Robert as moody and mean and surly, inattentive and resentful during a visit. Every step of the way, the press trailed the 21-year-old. However, later on, his weight increased rapidly as did his height. 11. Nevertheless, the Wadlows lost the suit, as the judge concluded that it could not be proven that Humberds description of Robert wasnt accurate the day he met him.