The tallest human ever reliably measured was an American named Robert Wadlow. Born in Alton, Illinois in 1918, he was already 5’6” by his fifth birthday - already as tall as many adults. His growth never stopped. By his death at age 22, he stood 8 feet 11.1 inches (2.72 m), weighed about 440 pounds, and was still growing.
Wadlow’s growth was caused by a tumor on his pituitary gland - the small gland that produces growth hormone. The tumor made the gland produce far too much hormone, so his body never got the signal to stop growing the way most people’s do in their teens. His hands measured 12.75 inches from wrist to fingertip. His feet required size 37 shoes (about 18 inches long), made specially for him by a shoe company that did it for free in exchange for the publicity.
He was a gentle giant - soft-spoken, polite, often touring with his father to promote the shoes. He died in 1940 from an infection caused by a poorly fitted leg brace. His casket was 10 feet 9 inches long, and the room he was buried in was specially expanded to fit it. Almost a century later, nobody has come close to his record.
