A Rare Recording of Robert Wadlow: The Tallest Person in Recorded History

Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 to July 15, 1940), also known as the Alton Giant, and the Giant of Illinois, was born and raised in Alton, Illinois. He is the tallest person in recorded history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. Wadlow's height was 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m) while his weight reached 439 lbs (199 kg) at his death at age 22. 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). The following audio recordings are from a 1937 New York radio interview, a 1937 Ripley's Believe It or Not radio interview, and outtakes from 1930 film footage of Wadlow as a 12 year-old.