How tall was Robert Wadlow - Page 3

viper said on 9/Feb/21
I'm a bit surprised Robert's wingspan isn't a bit more, but he was a narrow looking guy.

BeeJay Anya has the record wingspan for a basketball player, 6-7 with a 7-9 wingspan which is just absurd

viper said on 9/Feb/21
Robert looks 8-0 in that basketball clip

asdl30555 said on 9/Feb/21
@smileshy22

Robert June 1940 photo! Please measure the height of the man next to Robert

Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 9/Feb/21
@smileshy22

Thanks for your reply. Interesting coincidence that the last photo of the seated RW and Harold dated 3 Jul 1940, states his height to be 8'9 1/2", being the very measurement in question, apparently made in Feb 1940. My gut tells me there's a medical report to back it up. Now the fun will be finding that report. :)

asdl30555 said on 9/Feb/21
Will the man next to Robert be less than 5'10

Click Here

viper said on 8/Feb/21
Imagine a team trying to inbound a pass at the end of the game with Wadlow's
9-5 wingspan

asdl30555 said on 8/Feb/21
How tall is the man next to Robert

Click Here

cmillz said on 7/Feb/21
At least 9’6 if the infection hadn’t killed him.

smileshy22 said on 7/Feb/21
@Tall In The Saddle- Unfortunately, I don't have any medical records of the 8'9'' height, but I'm sure it exists somewhere.

@asdl30555- The May '40 pic is the last standing pic I've seen, but I have a clipping of them sitting together on July 3rd (it's near the bottom of the page in the link below). Technically, it's the biggest! :D
Click Here

asdl30555 said on 7/Feb/21
@smileshy22

The man next to Robert is 5'10?

Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 7/Feb/21
@Viper
Go to 24:05 of the linked video for a snippet of a not yet fully grown Wadlow on the basketball court. Pretty much as you imagined in your post.

Click Here

viper said on 5/Feb/21
Would have been interesting had he stepped on a basketball court.

You could put him in special situations parked right under the basket with his hands up.

smileshy22 said on 5/Feb/21
@asdl30555- The last pic of them together is a clipping from July 3rd. Even though they're both sitting, it's technically the biggest photo of them! The May 17th one is the last standing pic that I know of. :)
Click Here

@Tall In The Saddle- I don't have any medical reports on the Feb '40 height, but one could exist in an archive somewhere.

asdl30555 said on 5/Feb/21
@smileshy22

Apart from the photo on May 17, 1940, have you ever seen the biggest photo of Robert and Harold together? I've searched all over the Internet, but it didn't work out

Tall In The Saddle said on 5/Feb/21
@smileshy22

Thanks for the link to RW and family on his birthday! My bad. I knew it was out there but I was too lazy to look it
up. :)

@asdl30555

I understand your reluctance to fully accept the 8'9" reported in newspapers without hard medical evidence. Just my opinion but I would guess that they did source the 8'9" figure from an actual measurement. It also fits in with his growth trend as at that time and the fact that Robert was measured on or around each birthday for many preceding years.

Robert's final measurement on 27 June 1940 coincided with and was likely directly related to the fitting of a new brace. For a long time, it seemed that the 8'11.1" figure was plucked out of thin air also until the physician's 1943 letter to Harold came to light. There's the homework, to find the irrefutable medical source for the 8'9 1/4 or 8'9 1/2" figure. :)

@smileshy22

Can we tap your expertise again as to a confirmed medical source for RW's claimed 8'9 1/4" or 8'9 1/2" for Feb 1940 when RW turned 22 yo?

ChaosControl 6'2 1/2 said on 3/Feb/21
Would’ve been solid 9 feet certainly if he’d fully grown. Maybe could’ve closed in on 9’6

cmillz said on 3/Feb/21
He could’ve reached 10 feet had the infection not killed him IMO.

ChaosControl 6'2 1/2 said on 2/Feb/21
Morning in shoes, easily 9’2

smileshy22 said on 1/Feb/21
@asdl30555- Harold is the guy on the far right, actually! (he's the one holding the microphone and standing behind the speaker) Robert stands a couple inches beyond my height chart, which goes up to 9 feet!

asdl30555 said on 1/Feb/21
@smileshy22

Hi, expert, this photo, I did as you said! Put Harold 5'11 in my ruler! Robert hat height 9'5, Robert height 9'2! Harold's sole is where I marked it, right

Click Here

asdl30555 said on 31/Jan/21
@smileshy22

In this picture, is Harold's sole in this place? I marked it

Click Here

asdl30555 said on 31/Jan/21
@smileshy22

Where do you think Harold's shoes are? I drew three lines in this photo

Click Here

asdl30555 said on 31/Jan/21
@Tall In The Saddle

I doubt the different statements of 8'9 reported in the newspaper. Maybe Robert went straight to 8'11 after 8'8 measurement

smileshy22 said on 30/Jan/21
@Tall In The Saddle- There's definitely film of that! :D
Click Here

smileshy22 said on 30/Jan/21
@asdl30555 I measured Harold at 5 ft 11 and Robert was about 8 ft 9, so your 8 ft 8 height sounds right. :)

ChaosControl 6'2 1/2 said on 30/Jan/21
@Jason you’re overestimating average height loss. I’m almost 6’3 (5.5” above average so nearly 6) and never lose and inch, last time I did I was obese and has been playing rugby, and it was at 9pm. Robert Wadlow was categorised as obese, and I believe that height loss would increase exponentially past 7’, considering the pure mass of men that big

Jason Jeffers said on 29/Jan/21
@ChaosControl 6’2 1/2” I thought this site was late morning/midday heights? By afternoon it is highly likely especially in a physical job that a person is going to be at their low or very close to it. I would have thought it would make sense if someone’s true height is based on the average of their highest and lowest. Incidentally an average height would also coincide with his 8’11.1” but my personal belief is he lost nearer 2.25” throughout the day. This theory is the average man looses about 0.75” then it appears to be about an extra 0.25” for every 6 inch height gain. Robert was around 3 ft over average meaning about 1.5” extra height loss over 0.75”. What’s your thoughts?

Tall In The Saddle said on 28/Jan/21
@asdl30555

Re RW and that still photo, I think there is film of that particular birthday. They pan along the family at average height then begin tilting the camera up toward Robert. Stunning. Fair play to guess he was possibly at max. height at that stage, RW is standing impossibly tall but he still had another 3" growth in him...

@Rob

Yes, Arshivar's skull does appear quite long even for his height. Looks like he has somewhat comparable hands also but not quite as big as RW's. Would be interesting to get some other stats on him. In the meantime, here's some more photos:-
Click Here

asdl30555 said on 28/Jan/21
I found out. He's standing at 8'8 in the family photo

Nippu said on 27/Jan/21
Sultan with shoes and good posture seems to stand around 244-246cm. Barefoot 240-242cm. Just in that photo. I think we did calculated that some time ago but not remember results. They are mostly gone now when TTM site quit. Arshivar has indeed huge head.

asdl30555 said on 26/Jan/21
@smileshy22

Do you think this photo is the maximum height? It looks very big

Click Here

Daycringeothon said on 25/Jan/21
Back to the tallest women according to Guinness in 1971 English edition. It doesn’t give an official tallest woman but mentions Dolores Pullard of Louisiana, USA as a possible candidate ( 7’3.5”- 7’5” tall). She passed around that time. This is well before Sandy Allen was in the book. It mentions 7 foot tall Gwen Bachman of Colorado. It mentions Tylia of Saidpur, India with an unconfirmed height of 7’5”. It has an article about a mysterious giantess with the skeleton in Birmingham, England it was obviously Jane Bunford. It says that minus the kypho-scoliosis she would have stood at 7’9” .

Patrick Cotter was listed at 7’10.86” before being re-measured at around 8’1” a year later.

ChaosControl 6'2 1/2 said on 24/Jan/21
Imagine if he started posting here and tried to inflate his height. We should totally get some legit giant guys posting here

Tall In The Saddle said on 24/Jan/21
Just a bit of fun. I can't vouch for the accuracy of the RW statue but I guess it's accurate. Here's some relative comparisons:-

A guy in shoes who claims 6'9" barefoot standing next to RW.
Click Here

A guy claiming 7'8" standing next to RW
Click Here

Another dude claiming 6'8" (looks about right). In comments he said he used to be 6'10" but has lost some height due to poor posture
Click Here

Finally, 8'3" listed Sultan Kosen with RW. As close in height as anyone could ever stand next to RW and it's still 8" off the pace.
Click Here

asdl30555 said on 24/Jan/21
@smileshy22

I'm consistent with your calculation, Robert's maximum height photo

Click Here

asdl30555 said on 23/Jan/21
Interestingly, Robert's spine began to bend to the right in 1937 or 1938

asdl30555 said on 20/Jan/21
@smileshy22

Thank you, expert, solve problems

smileshy22 said on 19/Jan/21
@asdl30555- Judging from the cane, that pic is from '39. :)

asdl30555 said on 18/Jan/21
@smileshy22

Is this picture of Robert and Harold in 1938

Click Here

Daycringeothon said on 16/Jan/21
The world estimated figure was something like 21000 males or men 7’ or taller living. It might be slightly higher taking into account the ones who are embarrassed about being seen. Certainly 21000 doesn’t seem like that many it could much higher than that. The majority coming from Europe and North America then Middle East, Africa, Asia, South America and Australia.

asdl30555 said on 15/Jan/21
@smileshy22
Is this picture in 1939 or 1938

Click Here

asdl30555 said on 13/Jan/21
Interesting simulation pictures

Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 10/Jan/21
@Chaos

I meant giants in general, before photography and film. Say, Patrick Cotter O'Brien, who was claimed to be a very possible 8' even. Not necessarily disputing Cotter O'Brien's claim, but if Wadlow lived in the same period, we're talking a whole 1 foot taller without any photos or film of him to go by. Perhaps that much harder to believe.

I don't know too much about Edouard Beaupre but I see there are actual photos of the guy online. He passed in 1904 so I guess there is no film of him unfortunately. Def. looks big but personally couldn't say for sure he stood 8'2". Probably worth a better look into this guy.

asdl30555 said on 9/Jan/21
Harold, like a patron saint, is inseparable from Robert. The group photo of Robert and Harold standing together is one of the most valuable evidences

ChaosControl 6'2.5 said on 9/Jan/21
@Tall In The Saddle is the giant you’re thinking of Edouard Beaupare? The 8’2 Willow Bunch guy?

Tall In The Saddle said on 9/Jan/21
Imagine if we had NO vision (photos or film) of RW BUT with all other "evidence" still at hand (viz: medical verification, newspaper reports, anecdotal claims, etc). Sort of the equivalent of an alleged giant from the 1800s whose actual image has never been seen or at least only via subjective drawings.

I wonder how many people would believe RW's height IF they hadn't seen it for themselves? I'm not so sure I would've. For me, Robert's extraordinary height was literally a case of "You've really got to see it to believe it". Fortunately, we have more than enough visual evidence to satisfy ourselves.

ChaosControl 6'2.5 said on 9/Jan/21
Apparently Robert had an IQ of 135, and was very keen on playing the guitar until the age of 17, when his hands got too big

Lins 5'11.25 said on 7/Jan/21
What impresses me in Robert, your hands measured a foot long and whose arm span was 9ft 5 (287cm).
This is Amazing!!!

Nippu said on 6/Jan/21
Andre actually was not even close to Robert`s shoulders. Wadlow could armpit 7`7 Jack Earle so Andre was not even close. And Andre was more BIG than tall. I have friends taller than Andre. Mostly basketball players, few actors and few not so famous people. These not so famous people are tallest ones. I have met so many 7ft+ people that i don`t even know the number. 7`2 and up is great height to call giant. Unless u are Andre, Shaq or Big show.

ChaosControl 6'2.5 said on 6/Jan/21
Would he be able to deadlift 1000kg if he was mobile enough to train?

smileshy22 said on 4/Jan/21
Lins 5'11.25: I have! I've seen all the Italian vids and my favorite has to be first link in the January 3rd post. It's a classic! :D

Lins 5'11.25 said on 4/Jan/21
Hey @smileshy22 have you seen this clip here ?? Click Here

Lins 5'11.25 said on 3/Jan/21
These are great videos for those who understand Italian. =)

Click Here
Click Here
Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 3/Jan/21
I reckon WWE would claim 9'6" for RW. If he were to face Andre in the ring, to avoid repetition of the "giant" description, they could opt for the ALTON ALP. By most accounts, both true gentle giants.

ChaosControl 6'2.5 said on 2/Jan/21
“BAH GAWD HES 20 FEET TALL AND YOU CAN’T TEACH THAT!”

smileshy22 said on 1/Jan/21
@ChaosControl 6'2.5: Andre would be a bit lower than Robbie's shoulder (and Andre thought he was tall!) :D

Lins 5'11.25 said on 31/Dec/20
WWE would bill this guy at 20 feet tall. 😂

ChaosControl 6'2.5 said on 28/Dec/20
There’s a link to Andre the Giant, so I wonder how they’d compare

Slim 6'1" said on 21/Dec/20
Click Here

yes194938 said on 20/Dec/20
Hi, does anyone have the Don Koehler video that was originally at this link:
Click Here
?

drysalt said on 20/Dec/20
Hi, does anyone here have the Don Koehler video that was originally on this link:
Click Here
?

sorry if this is off-topic

ChaosControl 6'2.5 said on 20/Dec/20
9’1 early morning, 8’10.5 into bed. Weighing 500 pounds and being so tall will accelerate daily shrinkage

Tall In The Saddle said on 18/Dec/20
There is an old 1950s B Grade Sci Fi Horror, now cult classic, called the INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN.

An engulfing radioactive dust caused the title character to begin losing height and overall size at an initially slow but steady rate. At some point, much to the character's relief, the shrinkage appeared to have ceased, as confirmed by consecutive visits to the local physician. He befriended a midget girl who worked at the local carnival. He was in fact slightly taller than her, bolstering his confidence. However, after just a few weeks, to his horror, he noticed on a subsequent get together that he was now dropping height to her also.

It makes me wonder how much Wadlow might've hoped that every next visit to his physician might've somehow confirmed that his growth had finally stopped ONLY for Robert to be advised that he had grown yet more since his last visit, probably apparent by his own reckoning anyway. His height fascinating to us but likely an ongoing nightmare for Robert.

I've read that surgery was offered in the hope to stop Robert's growth but given the heavy and immediate risks involved, the family declined the offer.

Aj06 said on 17/Dec/20
he could make 9 ft I think when he died he was slightly shorter then a few weeks before mesauring at 8'11.1 but he could make a good 9ft on his very best of days gonna have to say 8'11 1/2 average though for this giant.

GTB172cm said on 4/Dec/20
9’0.5” wake up. 8’10” before bed.

FriedChicken said on 29/Nov/20
Probably hit 9 ft 1 out of bed and 8 ft 10 before bed. 8 ft 11 his normal height throughout the day.

Genau said on 29/Nov/20
9ft in the morning?

Duhon said on 28/Nov/20
@DarkM seeing as he needed metal braces to walk I doubt it would have looked effortlessly tbh.

Tall In The Saddle said on 26/Nov/20
@Nippu
Sure, completely understand your point. Photos of Carroll are curiously limited. One would think there would be a photo of Carroll at his highest claimed standing height but it's yet to be found if it exists. Here's some more detail on Carroll with two photos which show him as tall as I've ever seen him captured on film.Click Here

Re Koehler. I agree he would've believably been 8'2" at peak just not quite that perhaps on the available film with Frost. Here's a sequence that includes some older photos when he wasn't compromised but perhaps still not yet at peak. He bears some resemblance to Wadlow and his photos have sometimes in fact been misidentified as being that of Wadlow. Click Here

Re Myllyrinne. Yeah, slim shoes and it appears not a lot of heel to speak of. Vaino definitely didn't lift and I wouldn't have begrudged him a bit more heel than that. LOL.

Nippu said on 23/Nov/20
Tall in the saddle. My point is that i can give Carroll also 8ft. But i have not seen him picture there he is even clos to that. And his crutches were 6ft tall. And if he was really 8ft we calculated that itis almost impossible to had that spinal damage. Even his other parts of body did not impress me. I have been looking that Koehler video. He seems to stand that 7`10 easily. They sid he was measured 248cm. I can belive that. And i put Vaino hint above Kosen because Vaino was 252,8cm tall when he passed away.He was bending a bit. Like insaid docror in my neighbour. So Vaino was 8`3 but probably 1-2 cm when he ws still alive. Person.lost a bitbof height when he died. Stifness or so. But your right they were about same height Vaino just had better posture. Click Here Here u can see Vainos shoes and skies. Pretty slim those shoes.

Tall In The Saddle said on 21/Nov/20
@HHugo

Excellent vision provided. I think Don Koehler was officially measured by GWR at a max. height of 8'2". Even with Frost, you can see obvious spinal curvature (kyphosis). By the time of his passing at 55, his height was estimated to have dropped down to 7'10". With 5'11"- 6' Frost in about 1973, it's arguable that Koehler, in his late 40s, had already lost some height and as at that time, he was possibly barely scraping 8' if not actually a bit below that mark.

DarkM said on 20/Nov/20
Would love to have seen how effortlessly he would have stepped over the top rope in a WWF ring!

J2Frenzy said on 18/Nov/20
I am curious about how strong he could’ve gotten with training

Tall In The Saddle said on 17/Nov/20
Here's a decent photo comparing Robert's shoe to a shoe of average size and heel. As far as I can see, perhaps an ever so slight thicker heel for Robert but of no real consequence.

Click Here

HHugo said on 17/Nov/20
Don Koehler on Guinness TV show (from 40 seconds in):

Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 17/Nov/20
@asdl30555

I've seen that photo many times before but, unless I've since forgotten, I don't recall it being properly detailed with a date, location etc.,. Lack of important detail or incorrect tagging is often the case with a number of photos of RW floating around the Net. I'm guessing there are even more recent photos out there (viz subsequent shoe promotions?) but harder to find and for all intent and purposes, RW is basically at max. height in said photo. Great stuff!

I'll just add, RW is looking impossibly tall in that photo, it's surreal and he isn't even standing fully straight. I didn't necessarily recognize the guy in the hat on RW's right to be his father and he isn't mentioned on the photo plaque. At any rate, RW was basically 1 1/2 times taller than Harold.

RW's enormous shoe can be clearly seen in comparison to the shoe of the man on his left. As preserved and viewed on its own, the heel on RW's shoe might appear average in proportion to the whole shoe but possibly that much thicker than average. However, looking at his shoes again on their own, the length to heel ratio appears perhaps higher than average dress shoes. Meaning, while his shoes were incredibly long and wide, the heel may not have been significantly increased in proportion.

At least photos of 6'11" 12 yo RW standing back to back with 6'5 3/4" Primo Carnera (easily found on Net) actually depict Carnera with the slightly thicker heel IMO. RW's heels appear very flat. Amazing to think that RW was still a full 2 feet from reaching his max. height.

smileshy22 said on 16/Nov/20
@asdl30555- Putting Harold at 5 ft. 11 makes Robert exactly 9 feet thanks to his shoes (9'5'' with his hat). It's certainly his max height! :D

asdl30555 said on 16/Nov/20
This may be the last picture of Robert and Harold standing together, which in my opinion is the maximum height

Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 16/Nov/20
@Christian

Good point.

Mine was just a casual observation that, on appearances alone, one wouldn't perceive RW as obese. Or, at least, I wouldn't. I understand the good number of variables involved otherwise. Conversely, I might say, without even knowing the specific numbers for Trump's height and weight, just based on his appearance, the obesity alarm bell rings immediately. LOL.

As to skeletal frame. For sure, based on volume alone, RW's bones are going to be that much heavier than the average bear's. Not completely sure if his bones would've been necessarily more dense though. Possibly an argument that he would've lost density in the face of the sheer volume. Likewise, while RW might've been stronger than most, constituting greater muscle mass, he would've likely been below par in terms of P4P strength. Certainly a big issue was RW bones not being able to cope with the sheer weight of his body otherwise.

Some suggest that "overweight" or "obese" people do in fact have bigger bones as a consequence of carrying a heavier load. Possibly this also contributed to the size of RW's bones, at least in the lower body which includes the femur or thigh bone, the biggest bone relative to all other bones. RW appeared to have a notably higher lower body to upper body ratio with broad hips on top.

The rationale for skeletal weight appears somewhat circular and prone to inaccuracies. They suggest that the skeletal weight of a "non" obese person comprises about 14% of total body weight. So, in the case of RW at 500 lbs or about 227 kgs, skeletal weight might be calculated to be 70 lbs or 32 kgs BUT the BMI calculator deems RW "obese" at 500 lbs.

So, I tinkered with the BMI, keeping the same height but adjusting the weight and found RW just falling into the healthy range at about 397 lbs or about 180 kgs. That would equate to a 14% skeletal weight of about 55.5 lbs or just over 25 kg. A brief check online suggest the "average" human skeletal weight is about 23 lbs or 10.5 kg. Hypothetically, if they had been able to quantify RW's skeletal weight to be about 70 lbs in it's own right, then I guess a weight of 500 lbs might seem reasonable allowing for a 14/86 split. Approaching it another way, maintaining the weight of 500 lbs but adjusting the height, according to the BMI calculator, RW would've had to have stood 310 cm or about 10'2" for a deemed healthy height/weight ratio.

Just throwing up some numbers for the hell of it. Nothing hard or fast. Certainly, as individuals incrementally deviate from average, the conclusions of the BMI calculator become that much more skewed.

J2Frenzy said on 15/Nov/20
Even if the extra weight was in his bones it still would’ve dragged him down a bit

Christian 6'5 3/8" said on 14/Nov/20
@Tall
But Wadlow had an extreme cae of gigantism,which would make his bone structure a lot larger and more dense. So one can't really determine his weight by looking at his body alone.

Tall In The Saddle said on 14/Nov/20
Correction to my previous post. I said I reject 1 and 2. I meant I reject 2 and 3 (viz Rogan and Carroll) and replace them with Myllyrinne and Kosen for equal 2nd spot. Not rejecting Wadlow, of course. LOL.

@Vincent Caleb

Interesting. I wouldn't have guessed RW to be classified as obese based on appearance. I plugged Shaq's stats in, based on 216 cm height and 147 kg weight. It read BMI = 31.5, that little bit more "obsese" than RW.

Tall In The Saddle said on 13/Nov/20
@Nippu

John F Carroll. Yeah, it's claimed Carroll actually stood just over 8' at best with a corrected height of 8'7.75". Toward the latter stage of his life, it was also claimed that Carroll's standing height had been reduced to 7'10.5". The photo on Height Detective estimates Carroll's standing height as 7'2.5". Given Carroll's clearly twisted body and additionally relaxed posture, I think the Height Detective, with "correction", concludes a projection of 8' as being reasonably possible. But that's just 8' including correction. Not a standing 8' with a resulting correction of 8'7.75".

IMO, even if Carroll had stood 8' with an accurate correction to 8'.75" IF his spine etc. was perfectly straight, it simply isn't the same as RW managing to actually standing as tall as he did, without his spine being too compromised. IMO, some slight curvature was evident for RW in the latter stages but that's part of the wonder of the man, that he could still be as tall and straight as he was.

Anyway, popular reports have RW, John Rogan and Carroll, all from the US, rounding out the top 3, with heavily projected (not actually standing) heights for numbers 1 and 2.

Personally, I reject 1 and 2, and would place both Vaino Myllyrinne and Sultan Kosen at an equal, rock solid number 2, with actual standing heights of 8'3" a piece.

Tall In The Saddle said on 13/Nov/20
@asdl30555

Thanks for the link. Unless I picked up on the free trial offer, which I didn't, I couldn't read the newspaper text.

I could read the date of the article however, 22 Feb 1939, which was RW's 21st birthday. Of course I take your word for it that RW was cited as 8'9.5" in the article. I've recently found other articles myself between Feb 1939 and Feb 1940 mentioning 8'9.5" also.

Clearly, something is up. RW was widely reported as being measured 8'8" upon his 21st birthday and it was even later noted in other articles that RW growth rate appeared to be slowing, having grown just 1 and 1/4" from his 21st birthday to his 22nd birthday .

I see a few possibilities. Contemporary articles are preferred but can still be wrong (see above Physicians letter in which he cites an exaggerated height claim of 8'9" for RW earlier in his life, a height which RW later surpassed anyway). I'm more inclined to believe RW was measured at 8'8" at age 21 (as more broadly reported) so therefore view the citing of 8'9.5" as either incorrect or exaggerated. The incorrect or exaggerated figure might've coincidentally approximated to RW's "future" measurement of 8'9 1/4" upon his 22nd birthday. 8'9 1/4" isn't quite the same figure but yes, an exact 8'9.5" was also reported for RW upon his 22nd birthday.

In all possibility, perhaps it's true that RW wasn't measured on his 22nd birthday and somehow, the prev. exaggerated figure of 8'9.5" at age 21 was picked up and slotted in for age 22. But then, there is the figure of 8'9 1/4" for age 22 yo and I don't believe that figure was attributed or mentioned at any prior age.

Then we have the article you prev. linked, dated June 1940, which clearly states RW hadn't been measured in over 1 year. Interesting. I'll also add that I came across one article stating RW to be of a certain height but the family acknowledged it was not yet medically verified since they used a yard at home to measure RW themselves.

Anyway, good stuff. I appreciate your methodology in confirming the facts re RW. That's exactly how I've approached same, previously lending itself to sorting out the source and veracity of the 8'11.09" listing, leading to RW's rightful reinstatement at 8'11.09".

Vincent Caleb said on 13/Nov/20
@J2Frenzy:
Yea, I agree Sun Mingming might lose the full 2. Even for his height of 8’11” Robert Wadlow is pretty heavy. Definitely over what would be considered “average” for someone that height(even though he is the only one ever to achieve that height). Although BMI calculators don’t factor muscle mass or body fat, I plugged his numbers in one and it had him as obese.

Canson said on 13/Nov/20
@Christian: same here. 3/4” on a normal day.

Canson said on 13/Nov/20
@Vincent: quinton Aaron is a good example of that too

Canson said on 13/Nov/20
@Tall in the Saddle: lol Well said! He did look compromised which is the perfect word!!!

J2Frenzy said on 13/Nov/20
@Vincent do you have any idea how heavy Robert’s weight is for his height? Even being almost 9 feet tall, 490+ pounds is massive. Any height loss under 3 inches is impossible to believe, given Wadlow was over a foot taller and 1.5x heavier than Sun Mingming, who at 7’9 and 340 himself definitely loses 2 inches

Christian 6'5 3/8" said on 13/Nov/20
@Vincent
Yeah, I'm 6'5" range but only lose 3/4". Even a 9 footer like Wadlow probably would lose no more than 2.5".

Nippu said on 12/Nov/20
John F Carroll by photoevidence was even near that 8`7ft. He could stand 7`2. We have make some studis. But could have close to 7`7-8ft in corrected height. There is nowone in history (as we know) who was even close to Wadlow. Even Myllyrinne was 19cm shorter than him.

Vincent Caleb said on 12/Nov/20
People who are a flat 7-0 at a low do not lose 2 inches, unless they have a ridiculous weight. Like 1.25 on average or 1.5 if they have a longer spine. Yao Ming probably doesn’t even lose 2 full inches. Wadlow easily loses over 2 inches though. I think people are starting to over estimate height loss. I know a lot of people who are 6’5” or over that still lose only 3/4. A lot depends on weight also. For example Tyson fury probably wakes around 6’8”, but loses around an inch at most. Quinton Aaron also wakes around 6’8”, but can lose as much as 1.5 inches to to his weight. There was a guy I knew in college that was 7’1” out of bed and 7’0” at night. Tallest guy I ever met, but surprisingly only lost an inch. That is a bit rare, but I seriously doubt the average 7 footer loses 2 full inches.

asdl30555 said on 12/Nov/20
@Tall In The Saddle

The earliest source is here, Robert 8 feet 9.5 inches

Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 12/Nov/20
@Canson

Man, just one day in RW's shoes would be all I could handle, if that. :)

This is the last footage of RW that I know of, at a shoe promotion, Apr 1940, about 3 months prior to RW's passing. Click Here

You can see how compromised he is, not standing his full height at any given moment, great difficulty walking and almost tripping. Suggestive of some degree of spinal curvature and other skeletal issues. Notably, his physician didn't state that any allowances were made for curvature (viz "height correction"). So, it's understood that RW literally stood as measured. Perhaps he could muster himself to be straight for the sake of a measurement or, perhaps, he missed out on some extra height due to some curvature.

In contrast, John F Carroll, The Buffalo Giant, was afforded considerable height correction due to spinal curvature for a projected height of 8'7.75" but he never actually stood that height. At best, I believe it was claimed that he stood a literal 8'. This linked page goes in depth as to whether the projected claims for Carroll were legitimate. Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 11/Nov/20
@asdl30555

I know where you're coming from. The newspaper articles you provided which I have already commented on.

Particularly the 22 June 1940 article which stated RW hadn't been measured in over 1 year.

Not to flatly reject or dismiss that claim out of hand but, for mine, the jury is still out on that one. I've read RW was measured in Feb 1940, height reported as either 8'9 1/4" or 8'9 1/2" and that claim is also included in Rob's summary at the top of this page. One has to wonder where the two figures above came from anyway. Fair to say that given RW's unprecedented stature and regular monitoring, it would've been peculiar for him not to be measured in over 1 year. However, I will also say most, if not all, height charts for RW don't include the 8'9" + measurements claimed for Feb 1940.

Certainly worth looking into further.

Canson said on 11/Nov/20
@Tall in the Saddle and J2 Frenzy: I wonder what it would be like to be that height for a day. meaning 8’10 or 8’11 lol. I’d almost be scared to be that tall as I’d literally have a really bad curve in my back ducking all the time lol.

J2Frenzy said on 11/Nov/20
@asdl30555 exactly. He could’ve grown to his 8’11.1

asdl30555 said on 11/Nov/20
@Tall In The Saddle

Robert was not measured in February 1940, and his penultimate measurement was a few weeks before his birthday in 1939

J2Frenzy said on 11/Nov/20
@Christian ok, Robert didn’t move around much but he was still almost 9 foot and 500 pounds

Christian 6'5 3/8" said on 11/Nov/20
@J2Frenzy
I've never heard of a 7 footer losing a full 2", but I guess in very rare cases it's possible. But I bet that the most Wadlow had lost in a day was in the 2.5"-3" range.

J2Frenzy said on 11/Nov/20
@Tall In The Saddle it’s an estimate, you don’t need to get your knickers in a twist

Tall In The Saddle said on 10/Nov/20
J2Frenzy

Just an FYI. RW wasn't measured by Guinness. Guinness was first published in 1955. The initial publications in fact had RW's final height listed in error as 8'9.5" (this in fact was RW's measurement for his 22nd birthday in Feb1940). It was later modified to 8'10.3" (his final height broadly reported in newspapers upon his death). It was modified again to 8'11.1" sometime during the 1960s and has remained the same ever since. Obviously, Guinness progressed through various sources in the time line before settling on RW's height detailed in his physician's letter.

The apparent random appearance and source for 8'11.1" was somewhat of a mystery until the physician's letter was brought to light. That letter also appears to have been expressly requested by RW's father for inclusion in a 1943 Biography published after RW's death.

IMO, RW could've easily lost 2+ inches in a day. Unless he stayed overnight in hospital, it would've been impossible to accurately measure RW straight out of bed. A subset question is how long would it have taken for RW to lose the first .9"? Could the estimated time frame for same still have allowed for a measurement of 8'11.1" sometime before midday?

Vincent Caleb said on 10/Nov/20
If this is his low, he would wake up at 9-1.5. Loses 2.5 inches.

Howtallisrobertwadlow said on 10/Nov/20
Is there any pics of Robert at his final height ?? I haven't seen any pics of him at his final height

J2Frenzy said on 10/Nov/20
Christian people 2 feet shorter can easily lose 2” a day. Wadlow definitely lost more than that

Christian 6'5 3/8" said on 9/Nov/20
@J2Frenzy
I doubt as much as 3.5", but I can see 2"+ like Rob said.

J2Frenzy said on 9/Nov/20
Here’s my thoughts on Robert’s height loss at his tallest
Waking up: 9’0.5.
8am: 9’0.25. Loses the first 0.25 inch from moving under his weight
9.30am: 9’0. Loses another quarter mid morning
11am: 8’11.75. Has dipped under 9’
Midday: 8’11.5. Lost another quarter
2pm: 8’11.09 as listed. This site is based on afternoon measurements
3pm: 8’11 flat. Doesn’t take long to lose 9% of an inch
5pm: 8’10.5. Someone his height and weight probably loses 2 inches by the start of the evening
6.30pm: 8’10
8pm: 8’9.75
9pm: 8’9.5
Into bed: 8’9 flat. I think he loses 3.5 inches through the day

J2Frenzy said on 7/Nov/20
@Rob maybe it’s average, like most Guinness heights are? I’m confident he’d wake up over 9 foot

asdl30555 said on 6/Nov/20
Photo of barefoot Robert and the doctor, not sure 1939 or 1940

Click Here

J2Frenzy said on 5/Nov/20
At nearly 9 foot and 500 pounds, how strong would he have been if he was more mobile? Also how much height would he lose per day?

Willis Christian Macaraig said on 5/Nov/20
8ft 11.09 sounds right.

Christian 6'5 3/8 said on 2/Nov/20
@Rob
Is Wadlow the only celeb on this site that doesn't have a traditional "fraction listing"? (such as 1/2", 1/4", or 1/8")

Tall In The Saddle said on 1/Nov/20
@asdl30555

Very interesting link. Thanks.

Contemporary articles are generally the best source but there seems to be conflicting information. Two articles dated 21 Feb and 22 Feb 1940, on the eve of RW's birthday and on his birthday respectively, state RW hadn't been measured recently. One could guess RW was measured shortly thereafter but then there is the 22 June 1940 article stating he hadn't been "officially" measured in over a year.

Other sources state that RW was measured on or around his 22nd birthday, clocking in at 8'9 1/4" with some newspapers also reporting 8'9.5". The 27 June 1940 measurement was simply aligned with the fitting of the new brace and most newspapers reported that measurement (final) as 8'10.3". Some newspapers actually reported RW's final height as 8'9 1/4", using his Feb 1940 measurement in error instead of the 27 June 1940 measurement.

Suffice to say, the accuracy of RW's height as reported in newspapers was a bit dodgy at different times. IMO, the 8'10.3" figure was simply an errant conversion from metric to imperial. It would be gold if RW's original medical files could be accessed and made public just for the measurements. His first measurement report is available online, very detailed measurements across the board and reported in metric.

It was good that the articles reaffirmed RW being measured barefoot whilst estimating his shoe height.

J2Frenzy said on 1/Nov/20
Some posters on this site probably peg him at 9’6

asdl30555 said on 31/Oct/20
I'll correct that Robert's 1940 birthday was not measured, as described at the bottom of the following link

Click Here

Vincent Caleb said on 30/Oct/20
How is the average guess nearly 9 feet when he was measured at 8-11 lol.

asdl30555 said on 29/Oct/20
Photo of Robert and his father in 1940. I corrected the tilt of the photo. Welcome to enjoy it

Click Here

Mr height said on 25/Oct/20
Rob how do we know this isnt his morning height? I think theres every chance it was and for most of the day this guy was an 8’9.5-8’10 guys

asdl30555 said on 20/Oct/20
This picture is the one with the biggest gap between Robert and his father
Click Here

Andy5'93/4 said on 12/Oct/20
@rampage pretty sure the average guess goes up everyday. I mean i think its only wanted to give credit to wadlow for making it so close to the mark

asdl30555 said on 10/Oct/20
@smileshy22
If the second picture is 1940, it should be early 1940, because the gap between Robert and his father is similar to that in 1939
@Tall in the Saddle
The first picture in the link, I noticed that September 27, 1937, I think is wrong, Robert and his father's comparison, as well as Robert's dressing, the photo should be 1939

Tall In The Saddle said on 9/Oct/20
@asdl30555

The first photo you linked is actually dated, 27 September 1937, so RW 19 yo. Nice photo.

smileshy22 said on 9/Oct/20
@asdl30555: I believe so! The second pic was on eBay not too long ago and the date was 1940 (although I've always thought it was '39), so it could be from that year instead. ;)

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 8/Oct/20
People clearly want the average guess to be over 9ft

asdl30555 said on 7/Oct/20
@smileshy22
Are these two photos both in 1939? Photos of Robert and his father
Click Here
Click Here

6'3 Julian said on 7/Oct/20
@Mr Height nope. He was still growing at the time of his death. Had lived another few years, he may have hit a solid 9 foot, but he most likely didn’t ever get that big

6'3 Julian said on 4/Oct/20
I don’t know exactly but Im pretty sure he’s somewhere between 4 and 17 feet tall. Don’t know exactly though

David 5'10 said on 3/Oct/20
Rob, Can you help me?
At 3:25 min of the video, In your opinion, how tall is he? in feet and inches? Thanks!
Click Here

Mr height said on 1/Oct/20
Robert paul could he have 9 foot peak and shrink to 8’11.09 before death

6'4'' Guy! said on 27/Sep/20
Here Robert is listed 6 ft 5 at 10 years old in 1928: Click Here

So in the December 1928 video he was very close to his 11th birthday and he was possibly very close to the 6 ft 6 or 6 ft 7 range.
Click Here
Click Here

Canson said on 24/Sep/20
Wow Rob gave him decimal points. Never seen any other celebs listed like this!

6'4'' Guy! said on 22/Sep/20
@smileshy22 Oh OK! I got confused, I thought it was from 1930.

Thanks again! :)

smileshy22 said on 21/Sep/20
@6'4'' Guy!: That's from the same day as the other one. :)

6'4'' Guy! said on 19/Sep/20
@smileshy22 And this footage? Click Here

Thank you! :)

6'3 Julian said on 19/Sep/20
In that clip he looks at least over 5 feet tall

smileshy22 said on 18/Sep/20
@6'4'' Guy!: That footage is from late 1928 and he was about 6 ft 10. Here's the rest of it: Click Here :)

6'4'' Guy! said on 16/Sep/20
This rare footage is from 1930? How tall he looks here?? Click Here

Nippu said on 16/Sep/20
Sadly now. Usually extra tall people have not much power. Some do Like Myllyrinne and couple others.

6'3 Julian said on 13/Sep/20
Imagine how powerful he’d have got if he was more active and lifted weights! He’d be benching cars!

Tall In The Saddle said on 7/Sep/20
@smileshy22
Thanks! I appreciate and respect your opinion.

smileshy22 said on 1/Sep/20
@Tall In The Saddle: Comparing the standing one to other pics, they seem to be from 1936 or '37. :)

smileshy22 said on 31/Aug/20
@6'4'' Guy!: The guy who originally posted the footage on YouTube (Warnie from the old TTM forum) said it was taken in 1939. You can tell by Robert's classic cane! :)

Tall In The Saddle said on 31/Aug/20
Here's a couple of rare photos of RW being examined by physicians. Not sure of the year. Smileshy22?

Click Here

6'4'' Guy! said on 30/Aug/20
Rob, At 6:05 minutes of the interview, Robert says he was 6ft 7 at 11 years old. Click Here

6'4'' Guy! said on 30/Aug/20
Home movie footage that was thought lost for decades has now reemerged and appears to have been taken during one of Wadlow's personal appearances in the late 1930s:

Click Here

Here's a very rare Robert Wadlow interview from 1937:

Click Here

6'4'' Guy! said on 30/Aug/20
Rare footage show the world tallest man Robert Wadlow in 1936.

Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 29/Aug/20
@Rob

You would guess given the obvious logistics involved due to his size and impacted mobility, as much as he could've tried for his best early morning measurement, it would've taken RW that much longer than the average bear to get himself to hospital for his medical. Also, reasonable to assume that RW would also lose more height and more quickly in a day than the average Joe. With all that, for him to still rate 8'11.1" by the time he did present, I agree it's more than fair to project a 9'+ measurement straight out of bed. They should've organised a home visit for exactly that purpose.:) Were they aware of height loss throughout a day back then?

asdl30555 said on 29/Aug/20
@Tall In The Saddle
I re-read the medical report. Robert was thirteen years old and measured 218cm in February, and Robert was thirteen years old and measured 221.5cm in July. Both were barefoot, which indirectly indicates that hospital measurements were all barefoot

Andy5'93/4 said on 28/Aug/20
Hey rob seeing as some 7’0+ giants have lost a full 2 inches robert has 12+ inches on them is there a chance robert dropped as much as. 4 inches throughout the day maybe even near half a FT

asdl30555 said on 28/Aug/20
@Tall In The Saddle
Robert's 13-year-old Medicine reports that barefoot is 219cm and then 221.5 is for shoes. Here, his measurement is not always barefoot

Tall In The Saddle said on 25/Aug/20
@Rob

TOTALLY agree. Why inflate? The 2720 mm measurement is perfectly objective, exact and medically authenticated.

Not sure how anyone wouldn't find this listing as THE most desirable expression of height, accurate to a mm, with medical verification in tow. It doesn't get any better than that.

Expressing Robert's height in mm is simply because that's exactly how they measured him for absolute accuracy. Certainly not to make him seem even taller. All other unit expressions of Robert's height are merely conversions from the orig. metric measurement.

People are fixated on numerical thresholds. Artificially, many may view 9 feet as sounding so much better than 8'11.1" than it actually is, even though there is a scant .9" difference. Similarly, running 100 meters in 9.9 secs as opposed to a flat 10 secs "sounds" so much better despite the tiny difference in times.

As to rounding, some may opt for 8'11" while others will prefer 9'. The exact measurement as listed here leaves no arbitrary wiggle room for personal preference.

@asdl

The assumption is that Robert was uniformly measured in bare feet and there are photos of a barefoot Robert being examined by doctors, including, I recall, a photo of doctors measuring his arm span.

I don't believe 2700 mm and 2720 mm represent two separate measurements for barefoot and shoe height. Rather, I believe the first measurement was simply an incorrect reporting of the TRUE final measurement of 2720 mm, the latter measurement confirmed absolutely in the Physician's letter without any qualifications.

asdl30555 said on 22/Aug/20
Is 270 cm barefoot, 272 cm shoes? Is there such reasoning

6'3 Julian said on 21/Aug/20
I love how one of those says 2720 mm, because measuring somebody so tall you can’t compare him to anybody is best done in millimetres. Also give him 9 foot. Making the tallest ever man 8 foot 11 and some inches just seems silly

smileshy22 said on 17/Aug/20
The first pic is from 1938, the second is '39 and the third is '36. :)

asdl30555 said on 7/Aug/20
@Smileshy22

How old is this picture of Wadlow


Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 22/Jul/20
@asdl30555

8'10.3" along with 439 lbs were first reported in newspapers upon RW's passing. They were described as RW's last recorded stats as per his medical on 27 June 1940. RW's weight had topped out previously to at 495 lbs but toward the end of his life he had lost close to 60 lbs due to ill health. RW was previously ill between the ages of 16 and 17, losing about 50 lbs. This resulted in a net weight gain of only 17 lbs from age 16 to 18 vs a 6" height gain during those same years.

asdl30555 said on 14/Jul/20
I'm sure that the 8-foot-10.3-inch 495-pound figure was from the end of 1939, which matched the picture taken by the wadro family. The newspaper information was obviously lagging behind. In 1940, the weight was 439 pounds

Tall In The Saddle said on 12/Jul/20
Hey smileshy22

Thanks for your reply and info! It's nice when things add up after cross ref. As per most height charts, RW was pegged at 8'8" in Feb39 on his 21st birthday. Your own calculation of RW being just under 8'8" in the photo taken sometime in 1938 is very much corroborated by RW earlier measurement of 8'7" in Feb38 and upcoming measurement of 8'8" in Feb39.


Re My last post 7 July 2020.

I forgot to paste the link to the photo that confirmed that the photo was taken in 1938. I went back but couldn't find the same link but found some other links for the same purpose.

Here's the pic signed on the back by RW on 9 Aug 1938 and also detailing his height and weight as 8'8.5" and 480 lbs respectively. Interesting since most height charts indicate RW to have been measured slightly less at 8'8" in Feb39, some 6 months later, on his 21st birthday.

Click Here


Another copy of the same photo signed on the back by RW on 19 Dec 1939 detailing height, weight and shoe size as 8'9.5" 491 lbs Size 37 Shoe respectively. Interesting again since RW was measured a few months later as either 8'9.25" or 8'9.5" in Feb40 on his 22nd birthday.

Click Here

asdl30555 said on 11/Jul/20
The newspaper said wadro was 8 feet 9.5 inches in 1939, which is the height in shoes

8 feet 10.3 inches, 495 pounds, is wadro's height at the end of 1939, which matches the photo below
Click Here

asdl30555 said on 11/Jul/20
Friends, I made a sticker to record wadro and his father at different times and heights
Click Here

asdl30555 said on 11/Jul/20
@smileshy22
This 1938 should be in the late period. I took a closer look and it was 8 feet 8.25 inches in line with the height in early 1939.

smileshy22 said on 9/Jul/20
@Tall In The Saddle and asdl30555: I don't know the exact date of that pic, just that it's from '38. Making Harold 5 ft 11 in the height chart makes Robert just under 8 ft 8, so the year matches with the height! :)

Miss Sandy Cowell said on 8/Jul/20
There was a question on 'The Chase' just now as to the height of the tallest man that ever lived, Robert Wadlow.

I got it right - because I visit Celebheights, of course!

8ft11.09 😀👍

Tall In The Saddle said on 7/Jul/20
asdl30555 said on 3/Jul/20
Is this picture from 1939? Wadro and his father

Click Here

This link states that it was taken in 1938 as part of a Shoe Promo Tour. It doesn't state what month. RW was measured at 8'7" in Feb38 and 8'8" in Feb39 so he was standing somewhere within that range.

Smileshy22 is an expert on ALL things RW. She might be able to enlighten us as to a more exact date if one is available.

Tall In The Saddle said on 4/Jul/20
@asdl30555

Thanks for your reply. Yeah, RW measured 8'9.25" at the least on his 22nd birthday Feb1940. Some sources also suggested 8'9.5".

asdl30555 said on 3/Jul/20
Is this picture from 1939? Wadro and his father
Click Here

asdl30555 said on 25/Jun/20
@Tall In The Saddle

In late 1939, the picture looked at least 8 feet, 9.25 inches

asdl30555 said on 25/Jun/20
Hello, rob. The newspaper reported that it was 270 cm and 495 lbs. that's not right. It's 199kg on the height data sheet

Hanow said on 24/Jun/20
Rob, why not 8'11 1/8? Its more simple to read and put our vote

Tall In The Saddle said on 10/Jun/20
@asdl30555

Nice photo you linked Click Here. His Dad appears a bit over Robert's belt line. Is it 1940? Not necessarily contending otherwise I just couldn't see a date ref. for it.

Vid of RW 20th Birthday 1938. Go to 1:36 for vision of RW height relative to his family (sans his father Harold Snr). Click Here

Another photo which I am pretty sure was taken on RW 21st Birthday 1939 when he was measured at 8'8".Click Here I think you can see that Robert's youngest brother Harold Jr is that little bit older than the previous photo linked by me and perhaps, given his own height relative to his Dad, slightly older than in the photo linked by asdl30555. Otherwise, maybe about the same age.

Basically, the photo linked by asdl30555 and Robert's 21st photo 1939 maybe reasonably close in time and if pushed, I might guess the 21st photo as the later of the two as Harold Jr appears slightly older and Robert's father Harold Snr appears to be dropping that little bit more height again to his son as compared to the asdl30555 photo.

If correct, then we're basically still only looking at an 8'8" Wadlow at best with another 3" in height left in him.

As far as footage goes, this vid was taken in Apr40 about 2 months after RW was measured at 8'9.25" or 8'9.5" on his 22nd birthday in Feb40. This may be the last known footage of RW. If there is anything more recent I haven't seen it. It's possible we're looking at RW at around 8'10"+ here, his final 8'11.1" measurement only a few months away. You can see that his posture is very compromised whilst still appreciating how tall he would stand when fully straightened which I think he could still manage for a measurement but likely not without a good measure of discomfort.

Click Here

asdl30555 said on 7/Jun/20
Hello Rob, is this 1940 photo the difference between Wadlow and his father? Is it the real gap?
Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 6/Jun/20
@smileshy22

Awesome. Looking forward to the addition about other giants!

Andy5'91/2 said on 4/Jun/20
Considering certain giants who still would look much shorter next to robert (7’6-7’7-7’8 giants such as manute bol and shawn bradley) Saw gains of 1.75-2 inches straight out of bed is it possible that robert could have gained maybe 2.5-3 inches? If posible that would make him well over 9 feet!

Christian 6'5 3/8" said on 4/Jun/20
@Junior
His legs don't look too out of place though. You can obviously tell based on his proportions alone, that he was an extremely tall man, but his legs seem to be inproportion to the rest of his body. He just has that "long" look about him, similar to 7'0"+ basketball players.

smileshy22 said on 3/Jun/20
@Tall In The Saddle: I'm glad you like the additions to the site. I have a few more coming like a page about other giants! :D

Nik Ashton said on 1/Jun/20
Look at this:

Click Here

It’s great to give Robert his 2222nd comment!

Nik Ashton said on 1/Jun/20
@ Rob - How long were his legs?

Chris Junior Hernandez 1990 said on 31/May/20
Robert look to have the ratio of 3:7 on upper body and legs which is extreme long legs.

Tall In The Saddle said on 24/May/20
@Smileshy22

Appreciate the estimate on RW Dad height.

After he was first examined I believed RW height was medically recorded on each successive birthday at the least so 8’5” might’ve been accurate as at Feb37 while above photo was taken in Jul37. Not normally a big deal except RW was still growing at a good rate - from 19 to 20 yo some charts indicate he grew from 8’5” to 8’7” so possibly he was close to 8’6” 4 months into his 20th year. Such an adjustment might bring Harold to about 5’11”. Also in RW first or very early examination report his Dad was described as about 5’11”.

Also I recall an article associated with RW 22 yo measurement reported as either 8’9.25” or 8’9.5” and the article suggested RW growth had slowed and prob near peak.

But then there was the Jun40 measurement and RW had grown another 1.6” at least in the preceding 4 months. So on average it’s possible that RW could’ve grown another .3” to .4” up until he passed putting him at about 8’11.5”.

Btw, have to say again the site you have for RW is awesome and I noticed your addition of profiles on family members. Great stuff.

Nik said on 17/May/20
He could carry his Dad at the age of 8!

Nik Ashton said on 16/May/20
He was 8’4” by the time of his graduation from high school.

smileshy22 said on 15/May/20
@Olympian- Putting Robert at 8 foot 5 on my height chart (three yardsticks on top of each other) makes Harold 5 foot 10 and a half. With the photo of Robert with his family and the cane, Harold's height was about the same.

Nik Ashton said on 14/May/20
At the age of 8 he was 6’2”.

Nik Ashton said on 13/May/20
He was 5’4” by the time he was in kindergarten.

Nik Ashton said on 13/May/20
He was the tallest Boy Scout ever at 7’4”!

Tall In The Saddle said on 11/May/20
@Chris A

In your first pic, although he looks a bit similar I don’t think that is RW Dad on the left. I’m pretty sure I’ve read the guys identity before but can’t recall it now.
RW Dad has been described as either 6 ft or 5’11.5”. Perhaps RW Dads height might’ve been referenced in early diagnosis of RW condition as part of the overall medical analysis. Possibly they only went as far as stating parents to be of normal height. However near 6 ft was quite tall for that era but clearly still normal unlike the catalyst for RW growth. Otherwise can’t vouch exactly for the Dads height outside accepting general description and/estimating for yourself.
The pic of RW standing with a cane with his family seems to be the tallest standing height captured. It may be his 21st birthday 1939 otherwise 22nd birthday 1940. Pretty sure it’s the former. Still more growth to come but that’s the tallest and straightest I’ve seen, there is also footage of the same event on Ytube. The height RW was reaching in the latter stages of his life was quite surreal.

Tipperary said on 11/May/20
@Chris A. The man in the 1st picture looks too short to be Robert's dad.

Chris A. said on 7/May/20
@Olympian

Sorry about that, But if you google his name and click on images then you will see tons of images of Robert and his Dad. The ones I was talking about is of them in the same spot as the picture above was taken But his dad is standing on his left side, you can see he looks much shorter there and another one that I have seen which I will try a link again at the bottom of this post is of him and his dad and you can see his dad is way below his waist line. Does not seem accurate.

Click Here

Click Here

Nik Ashton said on 7/May/20
His parents and siblings were all of normal stature.

Olympian said on 6/May/20
@Chris A.

Unfortunately, your link doesn't work. I am assuming it has expired. Which photograph were you meaning to show me?

Daycringeothon said on 5/May/20
I never got the impression Wadlow's Father was a flat 5'11'' at least not without shoes. His father's proportions example arms, legs, neck are not impressive either. 5'11.5'' is way too generous for his height. He could have been 5'11"-5'11 1/4" on a good day for his low shoeless. Technically 5'11.5" back then for a grown white American would be like 6'1", 6'1 1/4" for today.

Chris A. said on 21/Apr/20
@Olympian

I think this phot above that you are basing your calculation is much older photo of them or Earlier photo, I have seen photos of them at much older dates before he passed and you can see his father is barely at his waist line.

copy and paste
Click Here

Olympian said on 18/Apr/20
@Chris A.

Well, his father is cited as being 5'11.5 and looking at his proportions I see no reason to dispute his father as being anything less than 5'11 or over 6'0.

And his father definitely surpasses Wadlow's waistline height. Based on the picture above, it looks like his father is about eye level with his elbows there, and if he was 5'11.5, let's say so, then Wadlow's elbows had a height of 5'7. Although he appears to be slouching somewhat, so let's say no more than 5'8-5'9 at the elbow. Assuming he's got standard human proportions, then from the waist to the elbow is commonly around 3 inches. So, I'd say Wadlow's waistline height is, this could be incorrect as it's conjecture, 5'4 from the ground up, and adjusting for his posture we could add a couple of inches, so around 5'6 off the ground.

I honestly have no idea if this is accurate or not, but his father was well above the average height of a man already, so we could tentatively assume that Wadlow's waistline height is about the equivalent of the average height of a man which would've been around 5'8 at the time.

Tall In The Saddle said on 16/Apr/20
It's interesting to wonder if Robert Wadlow was hypothetically measured at an irrefutable 9' or a touch over, would people still worry about guessing an extra inch or so to get him over the line?

Of course it's valid to speculate even greater height for Robert straight out of bed - the literally described tallest man ever should be appropriately afforded his tallest ever height in a day. Imagine if Robert had an equal at both their "lows" for the day but had the slight edge first thing in the morn - then technically he would still be the tallest standing man ever - however many hours that advantage lasted.

We fixate on numerical thresholds. Yes, 9 feet does sound that much more impressive than 8'11.1" but it isn't really so much more impressive than the mere .9" Robert fell short by - and Robert definitely had some curvature but there is no evidence to suggest that his final measurement comprised any "corrected" height - as was the case with John F Carroll whose corrected height was to the extreme and so much more than he actually ever stood.

Chris A. said on 9/Apr/20
Looking at His pics Specially the ones without his jacket on, Most people barely reach his waistline. I wonder what his waistline height was. Seems he had longer legs than upper torso.
Anyone knows?

Olympian said on 5/Apr/20
@Rob Paul

Hey Rob, how much height do you think Robert Wadlow would've lost into his old age? He already has an extreme height, do you think that would've scaled up proportionally for lost height in old age? He might've lost more than the average tall man if he had lived longer.

J-Dog said on 2/Apr/20
If anyone in history deserved to round up, it's Robert Wadlow....I'm giving the man 9' in height.

He must've lived not only a short but very painful existence. 8'11" is so beyond optimal human height, I would wager that few if any humans would be proportionally and medically normal at that height. Not possible. I would not envy that at all.....

Aidan strong 5'10 said on 29/Mar/20
i think he might have measured just a fraction taller the day he passed away. possibly closer to 9 foot

Matt logan said on 16/Mar/20
8'11.09 sounds right

Nearly 180cm guy said on 16/Mar/20
I'm not sure if the 8'11.09" list is correct. Personally, I think that it should be improved to 8'11" and 1/8 inch.

Miss Sandy Cowell said on 22/Feb/20
Robert Wadlow was born 102 years ago today. Famous for being the tallest man ever, he lived a tragically short 22 years.

8ft11.9

RIP Robert XXX 🕯️

smileshy22 said on 7/Feb/20
@Rob- Robert's dad would usually call ahead to let hotel staff know that Robert was coming (although a few were still surprised by him). One time, a hotel prepared a bed for Robert although he changed plans and stayed at a different hotel in the same town. Robert appreciated the kind gesture. :)

Tall In The Saddle said on 4/Feb/20
@ROB

I'd guess his bed would have to be at least 9'6" long. When he stayed at motels I think they simply put two normal length beds end to end. Everything would've had to have been customised though I guess some things he just had to put up with. Like, not to be crass, but how would someone of Robert's size deal with normal sized restroom facilities? Possibly he never used them.

Tall In The Saddle said on 3/Feb/20
@ROB, thanks for the info.

I don't know ROB, be careful. Jenny might take a sneaky peek at this site one day and then you will be wondering what's with all the passive aggression out of nowhere AND the entire bed all to yourself. LOL.

Tall In The Saddle said on 2/Feb/20
Fair question to ask if Wadlow was measured lying down.

However, I think the most reasonable assumption is that Wadlow was measured standing up. If we take the physician's letter as being literal and technically correct in its expression then I would guess he was measured standing up as the term used in the letter is STATURE which means height in an upright position.

Additionally, not sure Wadlow would gain anything if he was to only lie down temporarily for the measurement. Different story if he was lying down for an extended period before being measured which would lend itself to a morning height type measurement.

There's a question for ROB. After an average day on your feet how long might one lay down at a MINIMUM for the spine to fully decompress and equate to a morning height?

Any, for what their worth here are a couple of photos of a young Robert being examined by physicians barefoot and standing up.

Click Here

5ft 11 7/8 in said on 1/Feb/20
I have a question, maybe wadlow was 270cm then lying down and measuring 272cm?

5ft 11 7/8 in said on 1/Feb/20
Giant of castelnau was around 11ft 6in.

Tall In The Saddle said on 1/Feb/20
Awesome! A scan of the physician's letter detailing Robert's final height. Irrefutable medical evidence for all to see.

Best guess is that newspapers reporting Robert's final height as 8'10.3" were basing same exactly on 2700 mm instead of 2720mm. Perhaps a typo, misread or what have you but the crucial 20mm was left out resulting in an incorrect imperial conversion. Some newspaper's even reported Robert's final height as 8'9.5" which was clearly incorrect as Robert measured that height on his 22nd birthday in Feb 1940. Obviously, their information wasn't up to date as at the time of the ever growing Robert's passing.

Eric C said on 26/Jan/20
I wonder if Wadlow had a lot of muscle mass. He's 222 kg so I wonder how much he could bench press!!

Eric C said on 26/Jan/20
It also amazes me that Robert could've been 9ft7 in in high heels! And I'm sure first thing in the morning with perfect posture and with hair and thick shoes wadlow I'd say was easily 9ft1 or 9-2 standing completely straight in shoes.

Eric C said on 26/Jan/20
It's insane to me that even though Robert Wadlow is in the 271- 275.5 cm range that he would still be towered by other animal giants living and extinct such as ex Alaskan Brown Bears (9.8ft high), Polar Bear (304 cm), Palaeoloxdon Antiquus, Stegomastodon, Columbian Mammoth, Cervacles latifrons, Aurochs, Bison Latifrons, Elasmotherium, Embolotherium, Asian Elephants, Masai Giraffe, Paraceratherium Orgosense and others etc. And he's not even a match against the marine creatures of Earth's history (Sharks, Ichthyosaurs, Stingrays, Crocodiles) It's crazy! And not even close to the massive Brachiosaurid dinosaurs and titanosaur Sauropods.

Tall In The Saddle said on 24/Jan/20
@smileshy22

LOL - so you also go under the moniker britishchick09. Cool.

That's why, when addressing you re Robert, I try to always preface "as you would likely already know" and maybe now should add "as you may well have posted/uploaded yourself". Ha.

Seriously, you are the foremost expert on Robert which is great because the priceless stuff you bring to the table could just as easily be "lost" over time. Thank you again for preserving and perpetuating the facts of Robert's life. Particularly the letter from Robert's physician specifically detailing his final height of 2720 mm aka 8'11.09" As far as I have read that is the ONLY document upon which we can faithfully rely on Robert's final and medically verified height.

PS Thanks for the article links.

Wilfred said on 24/Jan/20
Rob, I have the 1943 letter from the Physician to Wadlow's father, who clearly record Robert last height as 272cm. how can send it to you, can I sent it to you by email?

smileshy22 said on 23/Jan/20
@Tall In The Saddle: I sure have listened to that interview before. I was the one who uploaded it! :D The year is 1937 since there's an article from a '38 issue of Radio Guide that says Robert's first interview was Ripley's when he went to New York and he was on Postal Telegraph Theater (the video) shortly after. Robert was prone to slurring (a side effect of gigantism), which is another part of why he's tough to understand. His voice was surprisingly high compared to other giants like Sandy Allen or Sultan Kosen, which is sweet. The rest of the interview is sweet, too. Just like you said, the interviewer was a nice guy who cared and respected Robert.
Here's the Radio Guide article if you're interested:

Click Here

Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 22/Jan/20
@smileshy22

I agree. A kind, intelligent, gentle guy, particularly so given his obstacles.

I'm pretty sure you would've listened to this before as I have done but I am linking a radio interview described as being from 1937 which gives a deeper insight into Robert the man/boy. The interviewer apparently knew Robert on a personal level and it translates in his highly respectful treatment.

Of course he mentions the unique stats on Robert at the start but he doesn't accent on that thereafter, he simply treats him like a normal human being and asks questions as you would of any normal person. Great interview.

Not to be nit picky but he announces Robert to be 8'7" at age 19. Most growth charts indicate that Robert was 8'5" at 19 and 8'7" at age 20. Perhaps the year given for the interview is wrong. Also, the uploader has considerately typed out a tele-script of the conversation. Robert's voice is heavy as you would expect and that combined with the old audio he can be difficult to understand at times though I will say I've heard Robert speak on other recordings and he is articulate and clear. IMO it's more about the age of the recording and not coping with such a heavy voice.

Click Here

Nik Ashton said on 10/Jan/20
@ Rob - How far above the ground would the top of his legs have been when he was stood up and with nothing on his feet?

Nik Ashton said on 10/Jan/20
@ Rob - Where would Peter Crouch have come up to on him?

smileshy22 said on 8/Jan/20
@Tall in the Saddle- He truly was just a kid. A very smart, kind and gentle kid at that :)

Daycringeothon said on 7/Jan/20
Alex Katch said on 12/Dec/19
True heights

?' ?" John Bloom (please rob find his real height!)

I heard of him as well. He did stunt work on Harry and the Hendersons. Appearing along side fellow giant Kevin Peter Hall who was probably 6’11.5” in reality. Not quite at the level as most Giants who stand 7’3”+.Even so many in the movie Industry thought he was much taller. John Bloom towered over Dan Aykroyd in the Great Outdoors. The 94 oz. Paul Bunyan steak sitting. It’s a closeup shot that doesn’t help much with estimating his real height.

There was another tall actor from Canada who appeared in B movies named Gary Robbins (1957-?) . He was listed at 7’5” and formerly Canada’s tallest man until his death?

Tall In The Saddle said on 30/Dec/19
@smileshy22

Thanks. Sounds like Cliff was more like 6'10" at best and lost some reasonable height in later years.

Thanks for the article. Due to his size it would've been easy to oversight that Robert was just a kid - even up to 22 years of age.

cmillz said on 24/Dec/19
Cliff may have been at least 6’11 in that pic with Wadlow.

smileshy22 said on 24/Dec/19
@Tall in the Saddle: When I put them on the chart, Cliff was only 6 ft 5 and putting him at 6 ft 10 made the wife was 5 ft 4. Since Christmas is tomorrow, here's a little holiday gem from my Robbie clipping collection:
Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 23/Dec/19
@smileshy22

Awesome find. Absolute gold. The article was great read also.

So Cliff was 72yo at the time of the article in 1968 which would've made him 42yo in 1938 when photographed with Robert. Your estimate was basically bang on - based on Robert at 8'6" in 1937 you figured 6'9" so with Robert actually at 8'8" that pretty much equates to 6'10" for Cliff as at 1938.

Interesting that Cliff states that he originally stood about 7'3" and had shrunk to about 6'10" by the time of the article. By age 72yo one would suspect some height loss though Cliff is suggesting a loss of 5". He was much taller than average which might lend to greater height loss with age but the implication is that he was even taller than 6'10" in 1938. Perhaps exaggeration on his part. Not sure that Cliff looks quite 6'10" as the time of the article.

On average a 6'10" individual is calculated to have a Standing Reach of 9'1.5" - given Robert was 8'8" at the time, Cliff's Standing Reach appears to reach that approximate mark. Cliff did state he could touch the top of Robert's head but found no dollar coin, LOL. Most of the time it was safe bet that no one would be able to reach high enough to know if the dollar coin was there or not.

@smileshy22 - Cliff states that his wife was 5 feet flat - that's a pretty good photo of them together. Do you think you could use your height chart to estimate Cliff's height relative to his 5ft wife?

Thanks again, you've provided priceless information on Robert.

Nippu said on 22/Dec/19
Nice! Great find.

smileshy22 said on 21/Dec/19
@Tall in the Saddle: I found a clipping with the photo in it! The guy is Cliff Maynard (6 ft 10) and the photo was taken in 1938, when Robert was 8 ft 8. The article is quite an interesting read. :)

Click Here

cmillz said on 21/Dec/19
That guy definitely looks taller than 6’6. 6’9 seems more likely

Nippu said on 18/Dec/19
@Alex Myllyrinne was measured 252,8cm after his death. So 8ft 3 almost. It was not corrected height. So he was probably bit more. I know a doctor who measured him. My moms neighbour. More than 80years now but razor sharp mind. He said that he will never forget Vaino and how big he was. I talk to him atleast once every month.

Tall In The Saddle said on 17/Dec/19
@Rob

Thanks for fixing the link.
Gave me cause to actually read some of the reddit comments. I have to pay this one, someone wrote "The find Wadlow books weren't really a success".
I think the lack of success was obvious because Wadlow clearly didn't wear the signature red and white shirt and bobble hat. LOL.

Tall In The Saddle said on 17/Dec/19
@smileshy
Thanks for the date of the photo and calculation.
So readers understand the photo in question I will relink it here Click Here
So as I understand you the photo was taken in 1937 with Robert reasonably assumed to be about 8'6" as per his medically verified growth chart. As such, you calculate the guy reaching up to be about 6'9". Perhaps I got it wrong in recollecting that the guy was described as 6'6". I can buy 6'9" and even so the guy is still well dwarfed by Robert. Also, for further comparison here is a photo of 7'1" Shaq standing beside life size full height Robert Wadlow figure Click Here

smileshy22 said on 15/Dec/19
@Tall in the Saddle: In the original eBay listing, the description said the photo was from 1937 (when Robert was 8 ft 6/7). I did some measuring on the pic and putting Robert at the 8 ft 4 mark made the guy 6 ft 7 (and 6 ft 9 when Robbie was 8 ft 6). My height chart is just 9 photos of a ruler put together, so it's not as accurate as the ones people used on TTM, but it gives a rough estimate.

Alex Katch said on 12/Dec/19
True heights

8' 1¼" Väinö Myllyrinne
8' 0¾" Gabriel Estêvão Monjane
7' 10" Ajaz Ahmed
7' 9½" Albert Johan Kramer
7' 9¼" Alexander Sizonenko
7' 8¾" Zhan Shi-Chai
7' 8½" Xu Fu-Hai
7' 8½" Ted Evans
7' 7" Huang Chang-Chiu
7' 7¾" Wang Feng-Jun
7' 7" Leonid Stadnyk
7' 6½" Zhang Huan
7' 6½" Jean-Joseph Brice
7' 6" Jorge González
7' 5¾" Mu Tie-Zhu
7' 5½" Max Palmer
7' 5½" Zhao Liang
7' 5½" Daniel Gilchrist
7' 5" Dharmendra Pratap Singh
7' 4½" Sergey Illin
7' 4" Jerry Sokoloski
7' 4" Lock Martin
7' 4" Mike Lanier
7' 3¾" Kang Jian-Hua
7' 3½" Martin Van Buren Bates
7' 3½" Viktor Zabolotny
7' 3" Jon Elmo Harris
7' 2½" John Aasen
7' 2½" Wang Tong-Xin
7' 2½" John Lebar
7' 2" Muhammad Riaz (Raja Lion)
7' 1¾" Kurt Zehe
7' 1⅜" Édouard Beaupré
7' 1" Garry Robbins
7' 1" Ron Reis
6' 10" Bolaji Badejo
6' 9¾" André Roussimoff
6' 4" Glenn Strange
6' 4" Andrew Bryniarski
6' 4" Terrence Evans
6' 3"? R.A. Mihailoff
?' ?" John Bloom (please rob find his real height!)

Alex Katch said on 12/Dec/19
Édouard Beaupré is 7 feet 1⅜ inches!!!

Joseph Edouard Beaupre was born on 9th January, 1881 in Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan. He was 8'3'' tall and weighed 375 lbs. He was a giant of the 'pituitary' type and was known as the 5th tallest giant. During his short adult life, Beaupre was employed by a circus, and attracted attention by his feats of strength. Edward Beaupre died on 3rd July, 1904, in St Louis, Missouri, U.S.A., at the age of 23 yr. His body is embalmed in the Department of Anatomy, University of Montreal. After more than half a century it still has a fairly normal appearance. The body now measures 7' 1 3/8'' in height. The reduction is mainly due to a loss in thickness of both the intervertebral discs and the articular fibrocartilage of the lower limbs to a point where, on radiographic examination, they are no longer evident.

Tall In The Saddle said on 4/Dec/19
@smileshy22: Nice photo!
If I recall correctly in the Texas photo the tallest guy in the shot standing by Robert was said to be 6'4". In the photo where the tall guy is reaching up I am pretty sure also that he was said to be 6'6" which in my estimate puts Robert at about 8'4" at that stage. As tall as he was Robert was often surrounded by not so tall people though they were probably average for the era. It's interesting to see Robert standing with and dwarfing relatively super size people of the day and people who would still be considered tall today. Suffice to say also that Robert isn't standing at his straightest nor had he reached his maximum height.

smileshy22 said on 3/Dec/19
@Tall in the Saddle:I remember when those photos on eBay. The Texas ones were quite a find! :D There are a lot of great photos on Worthpoint, with this one being my favorite:

Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 2/Dec/19
@smileshy22 - thanks for pointing me to the Worthpoint site. I actually figured if anyone knew where the barefoot shots could be found that it would be you.

It also allowed me to also locate the other pics I was referring to:-

Texas photos - Click Here

Guy reaching to top of Robert's head - Click Here

Some great pics on that site, several of which I hadn't seen before.

smileshy22 said on 29/Nov/19
@Tall in The Saddle: I remember that barefoot photos. I think he's in his boxers. Both of those are on Worthpoint, which I'll put a link to. I don't remember the Texas pictures, though.

Click Here

Tall In The Saddle said on 27/Nov/19
A while back I located on the internet some very rare pics of Wadlow barefoot in just shorts or towel wrapped around the waist, both sitting and standing being examined by doctors. He appeared quite young so perhaps taken early to mid thirties.
I also found some other pics of Wadlow visiting Texas in which he is standing alongside some of the taller residents including a guy who was said to be either 6'4" or 6'6" but I can't remember which. Another pic I saw was another guy said to be 6'6" holding his arm directly up palm open to measure against Wadlow. It appeared that his finger tips were only slightly higher than Wadlow's head. Wadlow is wearing a hat.
I plugged 6'6" into a Standing Reach calculator purposed for basketball and the reach given was 8'8.1". I can't find these pics currently but if I locate them I will link same.

Daycringeothon said on 20/Nov/19
Between his 9th and 10th Birthdays Robert Wadlow was sick more often (maybe only rumoured) causing his height to slow down. A Doctor having studied him claimed this on a Discovery channel Broadcast. The Doctor’s bent was that Wadlow would have surpassed his already impressive growth at an earlier age. Wadlow was sick to an extent at a much earlier time in his life. Guinness does mention he suffered a hernia at around 2 years old then soon his growth accelerated. He reached 6’2” before his 9th Birthday. He grew only 2.25” by his 10th birthday. Every other year his growth was the same about 3-3.5”. This Doctor also talked about his ‘foot drop’ condition (affecting his leg movement and ability to feel discomfort around his lower limbs and feet. ) this unfortunately kept him from going to a doctor for any pain caused by the blister on his ankle.

Tall In The Saddle said on 19/Nov/19
Thanks Rob.
This is probably Wadlow's greatest height captured on film - Click Here - at a shoe promotion in April 1940. He was measured 8'9.5" on his birthday in Feb 1940 and of course his final height in July 1940 was recorded as 8'11.1". I think it's reasonable to estimate that he was at least 8'10" in this clip. Extraordinary vision and has to be seen to be believed.

Tall In The Saddle said on 18/Nov/19
Hey Rob - without any knowledge of Robert's medically recorded height how do you think you would've fared if you only had the available vision to estimate his height?
Do you think you might've come in lower, higher, within an inch or so etc.?
I think it would've been somewhat difficult to gage since he was so far above the pack - but potential references would be comparing him to the known height/size of fixed structures/objects from the era.
Because he was so uniquely tall and unparalleled I tend to think that his height would be over-estimated more often than not.

Editor Rob said on 17/Nov/19
Here is a height comparison of how I'd look if I ever met somebody of Wadlow's stature:

Click Here

smileshy22 said on 15/Nov/19
viper- He sure is a towering sight. That's a good photo! :D

viper said on 13/Nov/19
I wonder what Wadlow's out of bed height would have been

Tall In The Saddle said on 12/Nov/19
Nippu - good info.
At least back in the day such "giants" weren't often photographed together if at all - I would guess to avoid comparison and protect the myth of their generally exaggerated heights.
If Leonid and Igor did meet and no photos were taken I would say that would've been the wish of Leonid to bar photos due to his own exaggerated height.
There was a court case in the 30s involving Robert Wadlow and fellow giant Jack Earle touted to be as high as 8'6.5" by the circus had to testify to his true height which was 7'7.5" (almost a whole foot less!!) - true or not it was said that it was demonstrated that Earle could walk under Wadlow's outstretched arm - suffice to say there appears to be NO photos of the two men together - again, likely to protect Earle's generally publicised claims, not Wadlow's which were medically verified.
Most individual's of truly extreme height have a stretched out, thinned out appearance - so guys like Leonid and more significantly Vaino really stand out - giants in every sense of the word.

Nippu said on 11/Nov/19
The tallest man site we did compared a lot of people who height we did known. Stadnyk was 7`7-7`8 tall. Around same size as Igor himself. If they met there must be photo of them together. But reason why Stadnyk overrated his height was publicity. He did a lot of intervievs and that is how he could get money himself. It was important because he needed medicine But Stadnyk was big boned and was really impressive for his height.

jordanft19 said on 10/Nov/19
8'11 1/9th is my guess.

Daycringeothon said on 9/Nov/19
Interestingly fellow Ukrainian tall man Igor Vovkovinsky (Tallest American citizen 7’8.33”) met Stadnyk while he was still alive. He even thought he was huge. Implying he was heavier and possibly several inches taller than himself. Stadnyk’s hands for instance were huge. There’s no official measurements taken but 7’8”-7’10” is not entirely unlikely. Don’t know if he really had any curvature reducing his peak size. Yes some photos he looks 8 foot ish but his mother was quite small 5’2” or so. I think 7’7” seems a bit low for Stadyks ‘s Peak height. He looked anywhere from 7’7+ to max 7 10 range. Not over 8 foot but still very impressive in size.

Tunman said on 8/Nov/19
Rob,any idea about Leonid Stadnyk?He was said to have measured 257cm but apparently he refused to undergo a measurement.Ukrainian Book of records mentioned he was only 244cm.So any reliable figures?

Tall In The Saddle said on 31/Oct/19
@175cm - Agreed. Why guess Wadlow to be taller than his medically verified 272 cm? So close to 9 feet IF there was any way they could fudge or get Wadlow over the line I think they would have - as it is, I think it screams the legitimacy of the medically verified measurement. I also agree that fresh out of bed would likely see Robert 9 feet let alone allowing for some more height in view of obvious curvature - which as per medical report was not factored. Wadlow's authenticated height really is as good as it gets.

175.0 cm said on 17/Oct/19
I don't know how people could guess him to be a different height than 272.0 cm, this is the most reliable measurement we have of his height. That said, however, we don't know what time of day he was measured and he could very well have hit the 9 foot mark out of bed, he probably also had some spinal curvature just due to his immense size. It's as if his height is what killed him, he is said to have still been growing at the time of his death and sadly he only stood at this listed height for 2-3 weeks before he passed away.