It’s hard to imagine how tall Robert Wadlow (1918 – 1940) actually was. And it is believed he was still growing when he passed away at the age of 22. He was was 8 ft 11.1 in (2.72 m) and 439 lb (199 kg) at the time of his death. He wore US size 37AA shoes (UK size 36; EU size 75), equivalent to 18.5 in (47 cm) long. He died of an infected blister on his right ankle, caused by an ill-fitting brace, something which modern medicine would have been able to remedy earlier. By the same token though, modern medicine would probably have been able to halt his abnormal growth before it became such a strain on his body.
