Born in 1918 to normal parents in Illinois, Robert Wadlow weighed a healthy almost nine pounds. While this may seem like a normal start to life, who could have guessed that the baby would one day be known as the Giant of Illinois . By the time Robert turned one-year old he was already over three-feet tall, and weighed 45 pounds. His growth spurt started in infancy, and he kept growing throughout his entire life thanks to a hyperactive pituitary gland problem. The condition caused his system to produce an abnormal amount of human growth hormone. Robert would continue to grow until the end of his short life. In his early teenage years he was well over seven-feet tall which, combined with his quiet disposition, earned him the nickname “gentle giant.” He was a Boy Scout, and enjoyed photography and guitar. Robert broke the world record as the tallest man in history when he was 19, but he didn’t stop growing. He measured in at eight-feet, four-inches tall at that time. In addition to requiring custom clothing to accommodate his size— he required massive 37AA size shoes— he needed to have customized furniture as regular table and chairs were not large enough. He travelled with the Ringling Brothers Circus after high school, touring and making public appearances. He became something of a celebrity. Eventually his hands would grow to be too large for him to participate in his favorite hobbies, but this wasn’t the only downside to his larger frame. The physical toll on his health would ultimately bring his life to an abrupt and premature end. He suffered from weak legs, and commonly experienced loss-of-feeling and numbness in his limbs and extremities. He depended on specially designed leg braces and a cane in order to move around—although he never used a wheelchair. It was during an infection from a blister caused by one of these ill-fitted leg braces that Robert’s health took a serious turn for the worst. He underwent blood transfusions and emergency surgery in an attempt to save him, but ultimately the efforts of doctors were futile. His condition continued to decline because of an autoimmune disorder, and he succumbed to the infection. He died in his sleep in July of 1940—he was only 22 years old. When he passed away, he was measured to be just shy of nine-feet-tall and weighed an astounding 439 pounds. Click through the slideshow above to get a peek into the life of Robert Wadlow, the Gentle Giant of Alton, Illinois. See more pictures from his short life here . http://mashable.com/2015/07/27/tallest-man-in-history/

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