Video: How the real Uncle Stepa lived: "The Good Giant" Robert Wadlow
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
He was born at the beginning of the 20th century into a family of people who were not very tall. Due to a rare disease, from the age of five, the boy was looked at as a curiosity, but all his life he did not agree to this role, wanting the world to see in him a person and a personality. With a recorded height of 2 m 72 cm and a weight of almost 200 kg, Robert Wadlow is generally recognized as the tallest man in history.
In 1918, in the small American town of Alton, Illinois, the first child was born into an ordinary family. Until the age of four, he developed absolutely normally, but then for some reason he began to grow at an incredible rate. Concerned parents took the baby to the doctors, and they made a terrible diagnosis: a pituitary tumor and acromegaly, which led to gigantism. Today, modern medicines could help the boy and smooth out the unpleasant effects of hormonal disruption, but at the beginning of the 20th century, he was doomed to incredible growth. No one knew to what extent it could reach and how long it would last, because there were not so many similar cases in medical practice.
At the age of six, Robert reached the average height of an adult - 170 cm, and at nine he already towered above everyone and could easily lift his father in his arms (189 cm and 80 kg). At the age of 13, he became the tallest boy scout in the world, and by the time he graduated from school he had become a real giant - his height reached 2.5 meters. Of course he was a local celebrity. Newspapers were happy to describe how a young man needed three times more fabric for a suit than an ordinary man, how he had custom-made furniture or removed the front seat from the family car so that the giant, sitting in the back, could accommodate long legs. All these little things were everyday difficulties for the "real uncle Styopa". The worst thing was with shoes, because shoes of a unique size (the foot length is almost 50 cm), had to be sewn to order, and this came out very expensive.
Tired of the attention not only of the paparazzi, but of all passers-by, Robert did not agree to go to work in the circus, and there were many such offers. He was oppressed by an unhealthy interest in him. The young man wanted to have the right to a normal life. According to the recollections of fellow countrymen, he was very educated and developed, he read a lot, collected stamps and was fond of photography. Already from childhood, his independent character manifested itself - at the age of 10-12, a giant boy tried to save money by selling newspapers and magazines, and after graduating from school, he entered college for a law degree.
When the young man turned 20, a shoe company from his native state still seduced him with a tempting offer: they sew his shoes for free as needed, and Robert makes an advertising tour across America and represents a shoe brand. Together with his father, Wadlow traveled more than 300,000 miles, visited 800 cities and 41 states. He called it "a trip of goodwill" and, although he spoke to the public, each time he emphasized that he was only advertising a product, most of all Robert was afraid of becoming a clown in a circus.
So the young giant became famous throughout America. People who communicated with him noted the incredible poise of the young man. He made the most pleasant impression, and the nickname "Good Giant" stuck to him. However, unfortunately, the tour still undermined Robert's health. In his youth, he could still lead an active lifestyle, since, despite the hormonal abnormality, he was distinguished by excellent health, but over the years, the explosive growth did not stop. When he turned 21, Wadlow was 262 cm tall and weighed 223 kg, and over the next year added another 10 cm.
Gradually, the abnormal growth began to affect: Robert ceased to feel his legs, it became more and more difficult for him to walk, and he had to pick up a cane first, and then crutches. The shoes, although made to order, constantly rubbed terrible calluses, because the giant did not feel pain in his legs. This was the cause of his death. On July 4, 1940, during an Independence Day speech, Robert rubbed his leg to a real wound, which caused an infection and rapidly developed sepsis. His immune system turned out to be weakened, and within ten days the tallest man in the world died in his sleep.
A crowd of 40,000 gathered at Wadlow's funeral. His coffin weighed half a ton and was carried by 12 people. After these sad events, the parents took one more step, which Robert would undoubtedly approve: they carefully concreted the grave so that the remains of the tallest man would not be stolen, and then they also burned all his clothes and shoes. Personal belongings of Robert Wadlow were not to be turned into collectors' exhibits for the amusement of the curious. Therefore, the memory that remained in the hometown of the "Good Giant" is a monument that was opened in 1985. The bronze giant looks at the world from a height of almost three meters and smiles at people.
The tallest man in the world was not in vain afraid to become entertainment for the crowd. Most people with growth anomalies in the old days turned into jesters, and even their weddings and funerals were for fun: How dwarfs entertained Peter I
Recommended:
How the second marriage and later paternity changed the life of "Uncle Volodya" from the program "Good night, kids": Vladimir Ukhin
He was the favorites of all Soviet children, who, like the heroes of the program Khryusha and Stepashka, called the presenter affectionately Uncle Volodya. For more than 30 years Vladimir Ukhin hosted the program "Good night, kids" and told entertaining and instructive stories to children at night. In his own destiny, unexpected turns awaited him, tests of strength and happiness of fatherhood, acquired only at the age of 62
Why "dragons" and giant kangaroos that lived side by side with people became extinct in Australia
The already amazing nature of Australia tens of thousands of years ago was even more incredible. The continent was inhabited by giant kangaroos, twice the height of an ordinary person, and huge goannas, similar to dragons. But why did the megafauna disappear on this earth? Previously, it was believed that people were to blame. Now scientists are sure: it was climate change that led Australia's megafauna to extinction. The land that we now call Australia, 40-60 thousand years ago, was inhabited by giant creatures sa
Uncle Audrey Hepburn's diary reveals how the actress lived under the Nazis
For many years, there were persistent rumors and vivid legends about Audrey Hepburn's participation in the Nazi resistance. For many years, the Audrey Hepburn Museum regretted that there was almost no evidence found. But in 2019, a book was published that proved that rumors and legends were true
How a giant actor lived in the real world who could play Bigfoot with almost no makeup
This unique actor has starred in two dozen roles in just six years of his career. In addition to his outstanding height (2 m 29 cm) and the largest foot in the world, he was distinguished by his outstanding acting talent. We remember him, first of all, from the films Men in Black 2, Big Fish, Constantine: Lord of Darkness and Enchanted. It is interesting that the actor, who played mostly giants and monsters, was a very gentle and kind person in life. Unfortunately, Matthew McGrory's career was short-lived
What is good for a Russian is good for a German : 15 typically "our" things, incomprehensible to the western man in the street
Almost a quarter of a century has already passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and many still recall with nostalgia the days when any scratch was smeared with brilliant green, and birch was carried from the store in a string bag instead of orange juice. This review presents typically "our" phenomena, recalling which, we can proudly say: "In the West they will not understand."