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Robert Wadlow being filmed by 20th Century Fox at Alton High School. 1936.

Photography by Robert K. Graul.

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Robert Wadlow at home with Harold Jr. 23 February 1936.

Photography by Robert K. Graul.

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Hey! Thanks for all of your amazing content. Robert deserves more attention. Also, how are you doing? You’ve been quiet lately. Hope everything’s ok. :)

‘Ello, Anon! Thanks for the comment!

I’m happy to know you enjoy my archive. That’s the whole point of it – to provide people with more knowledge of who Robert Wadlow was. Most people know him for his height, and that’s it. I hope to change that, one post at a time.

I’ve been decent! Things have been a bit quiet because I’ve had limited motivation as of late. Rest assured, I’m still very much active, and I have a wide assortment of drafts both still in the works and ready to post. I just need to find the energy to work on/post them.

Thanks for asking! I hope all’s well with you. :’)

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Robert Wadlow with his siblings Betty, Harold Jr, Eugene and Helen. 1938.

Photography by Robert K. Graul.

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Robert Wadlow during the fifth National Forest Festival Grand Parade in Manistee, Michigan. 4 July 1940.

This is one of the last photos known to exist of Wadlow in his final days, taken just 11 days prior to his death on 15 July.

Robert was brought into the festival by Snyder’s Shoes as an ambassador for Peter’s Shoes, of which he wore a size 37AA brand. Prior to leaving Alton, a blister was discovered on his right ankle. The blister, at first, did not create a cause for concern and Robert continued on to Michigan for his scheduled appearances during the festival.

During one of his appearances, Robert had walked a lengthy distance which further irritated the blister due to a faulty, ill-fitting brace. As a result of his legs’ hypoesthesia, Robert was unaware of his worsening blain. He would then become very ill from the infection that ensued and had to sit and wait in the for several hours before the parade began – oblivious of the severity of his ailment.

At the time this photo was taken, Robert was already feeling ill from the symptoms his developing infection was causing. This infection would ultimately result in sepsis. Despite his worsening symptoms, Robert briefly showed signs of recovery at one point but his health quickly declined again. His younger brother and mother would then fly from St Louis to Michigan to see him after learning about his condition.

Robert’s final words, spoken on 14 July, were, ‘The doctor says I won’t get home for the celebration’. This was in reference his grandparents’ golden wedding anniversary on the last day of July. Robert desperately wanted to get home in time for the celebration but the doctor tending to him during his final days told him it would not be possible on several occasions.

In the early morning hours of 15 July 1940, Robert Pershing Wadlow, the world’s tallest man then and ever since, passed away in his sleep.

Despite Robert’s unfortunate and premature death, his life would never go uncelebrated nor forgotten. In 1985, a permanent homage in the form of a life-sized bronze statue was sculpted and erected in his hometown of Alton, Illinois. The statue remains today, commemorating the tragically short life of the world’s tallest man.

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Robert Wadlow playing skee-ball during his visit in Springfield, Illinois. August 1936.

Photo courtesy of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

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Robert Wadlow leaving his home for Western Tour. 22 July 1939.

Photography by Robert K. Graul.

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Have you ever read Boy Giant?

I haven’t yet, actually! I intend to read it whenever I’m able to find and secure a copy of it.

Finding written material about Robert is difficult to come across – it has been for me, at least. I’m currently looking to find The Gentleman Giant by Frederic Fadner. That’s the biography that was written with the assistance of Robert’s father. It was published in 1944 – four years after Robert’s untimely death.

Right now, the only book I have in my possession that’s about Robert is Wadlow, the French graphic novel written by Christophe Bec and illustrated by Nicolas Sure. I absolutely love it and intend on reviewing it later on, so do stay tuned if you're interested!

Wadlow alone was an incredibly difficult book to find and get hold of, and I probably wouldn’t have been able to get it if it weren’t for two very good friends of mine who helped send it to me. I know one of you will probably end up seeing this eventually, so thanks again for your generosity!

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Robert Wadlow with Harold Jr, his younger brother. 19 February 1938.

Photography by Robert K. Graul.

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Robert Wadlow at home with Eugene and Harold Jr, his younger brothers. 23 February 1936.

Photography by Robert K. Graul.

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Was Robert's size what made his voice so deep?

It was! It’s quite a simple explanation.

As we grow, all of our sinus cavities enlarge along with us, which gradually deepens our voices over time. This generally gives taller folk deeper voices on average, even if the effect isn’t very prominent or noticeable without a keen ear.

In Robert’s case, there was enough room in the sinus cavities to create a very deep voice due to the amount of space the sound had to echo around in. Thus, the result is the distinctive deepness you hear when he speaks.

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Robert Wadlow during his visit to New York City. 7 April 1937.

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THANK YOU FOR THAT AMAZING FIND!!!! What did you think of it? I haven’t heard Robert’s voice before. I didn’t know it was so deep!

Of course! I’m thrilled that I could finally provide such a long-awaited recording. As excited as I was when I first heard it, I was even more excited to share it with everyone! It’s a little piece of history in more than one way. c:

The initial reaction I had when I heard his voice for the first time was nothing short of astonishment. It was quite surprising! Fascinating, even. In a surreal way, his voice is very mesmeric and engrossing; I could listen to him talk for hours.

As for my thoughts, I found the recording to be rather wholesome and endearing! The little jokes and puns that were thrown throughout it were quite fun. Despite it being such a short segment, I’m glad that it was archived over the years and finally released. It’s a real gem!

I know there’s more footage and recordings out there that have yet to be released, so here’s to hoping that they’ll soon see the light of day! When that day comes, I’ll be sure to deliver them to everyone who’s waiting to tune in.

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Thanks to a miraculous discovery I made earlier today, I present to you a never-before-heard audio recording of Robert Wadlow during his appearance for a short interview for Robert Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in 1937.

I’ve included a transcript of the interview below in case some parts are difficult to understand. I’ve written it according to what I’m able to clearly hear, so do be aware that some things might have been misunderstood on my end.

Please, enjoy!

Presenter: Believe It or Not! with Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra, Shirley Lloyd and – believe it or not – Robert Ripley!

Ripley: Tonight I’m- I am going to try to top you. I’m going to show you the biggest human being that ever walked the Earth. This man – who is here with the New York- err, here in New York today with the Ringling, err, Brothers Circus – towers eight feet, seven inches in the stratosphere. And here he is, the tallest man who ever lived, Robert Wadlow.

Wadlow: Thank you, Mr Ripley.

Ripley: Oh, err, Robert, this is, err, Mr Nelson.

Wadlow: Err, stand up, Mr Nelson.

Nelson: I am standing up. Hey, what is this anyway?

Wadlow: I can’t hear you down there!

Nelson: Hey, Ben, would you get me that stepladder?

Ben: Well, I’ll move it a little closer to the mic. Maybe you can climb up.

Nelson: Oh, Ben, I don’t know what I’d do without you.

Ben: Here, Ozzie.

Nelson: Okay. All right, Robert, here I am right up here to talk things over.

Ripley: Ozzie! Hey, Robert, here’s a very nice fellow and I want you two boys to be friends.

Nelson: Friends? Why, I wouldn’t hurt you in the world, Robert.

Wadlow: Thanks, Mr Nelson.

Ripley: You know, err, young Mr Wadlow here is only nineteen years old, but he is eight feet, seven inches tall, and scientists predict that he will grow for three years more and attain the unbelievable height of ten feet! That’s taller than Goliath, the biblical god, who is only, err, nine-feet-nine.

Nelson: You say he’s only nineteen years old, Bob?

Ripley: Yes, only nineteen years old.

Wadlow: I would rather you wouldn’t mention it, Mr Nelson. You see, I’m kind of self-conscious about my age.

Ripley: All right. Heh. Well, Robert, err, tell me... do you mind, err, people staring at you when you’re walking out on the streets?

Wadlow: Oh, no; I just overlook them.

Ripley: You know, back home, err, Robert is just like any normal nineteen-year-old boy except, of course, for his size. He was graduated from high school and already has finished his first year in college. Err, do you go in for sports, Robert?

Wadlow: I played basketball.

Nelson: Basketball? Cool. What position did you play, Robert?

Wadlow: I was the dropper.

Nelson: The dropper?

Wadlow: Yes, you see, they... threw me the ball and I just stooped over and dropped it in the basket.

Nelson: Ohh. Well, how were you in the classroom?

Wadlow: I could never answer the teacher’s questions. The ceiling was too low.

Nelson: Ceiling? What does the ceiling have to do with it?

Wadlow: I couldn’t raise my hand.

Ripley: Oh! Say, Robert! Tell me... what do you do for exercise?

Wadlow: I walk.

Nelson: Walk? From coast to coast, I suppose.

Wadlow: Yeah, for the first ten minutes.

Ripley: You know, in spite of Robert’s enormous size, Ozzie, he eats no more than anyone else; he eats no more than his parents or his brothers and sisters – all of whom are of normal size.

Nelson: Did he require any spec- How is it down there, Bob? All right? Did he require any special care?

Ripley: No; his parents brought him up!

Wadlow: I think... I think they kind of overdid it, though!

Ripley: Say, haha, err, Robert... Will you tell Mr Nelson about the time you were invited to that cocktail party? You know that time when one guest had a highball too many?

Nelson: What, did he offer to fix Robert a tall one?

Ripley: Heh heh.

Wadlow: No... He just took one pop-eyed look at me and said- raised his trembly hand and said, ‘I’ll never touch another drop’.

Nelson: Well, you couldn’t blame him for that!

Ripley: Thank you, Robert, and good night.

Wadlow: Good night, Mr Ripley. So long, shorty.

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What are your thoughts on the painting listed on ebay?

If you’re referring to the same painting that @britishchick09​ recently posted, then I did see it, and I think it’s a lovely portrait! It really captures Robert’s gentleness, which is something to be appreciated in and of itself.

Furthermore, I agree that it should be donated to the history museum in Alton, especially if it was originally owned by Robert’s mother. It would be a very nice addition to the Wadlow exhibit.

If enough people were willing to contribute a little bit of money each in order to pay for the portrait, I would love to help get it to Alton as a sort of collective donation sent in by the lot of us. According to the listing, the seller is located in Missouri, so it’s already very, very close to Illinois.

As much as I’m gladly willing to help out, the seller appears to only be looking for bidders within the US, so I’m already ruled out since I live across the pond, sadly.

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Robert Wadlow alongside his family on his 21st birthday. 22 February 1939.

Photo courtesy of the Chicago Tribune.

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Robert Wadlow canoeing with a friend at Warren Levis Lake or Talahi Camp in Illinois. Circa 1935.

According to one source, Robert once foundered a rowboat and nearly drowned both his father and himself. He never went boating again after the incident, apparently.

Photography by Robert K. Graul.