Robert Wadlow-- Tallest Man Ever

Growing up, my favorite book was The Guinness Book of World Records. I used to spend hours pouring over those pages, memorizing the names and dates of mankind's best. But, really, it wasn't the whole book I enjoyed, it was just one section in particular. The Human Body. Who cared how tall the highest bridge was or how many eggs some idiot could consume in a minute? I wanted to know who had the largest cranium that year, or the most fingers.

I read it so much, in fact, that not only do I still remember the particulars of some of my favorites, their pictures are also seared eternally into my brain:

Robert Earl Hughes (1069 lbs.)

Don Koehler (8 ft. 2 in.)

The only problem is that I stopped reading it probably 25 years ago and these guys are long since gone from the sacred tome. That's because Mr. Hughes' all-time record has been eclipsed by John Brower Minnoch (1400 lbs.) and Mr. Koehler, who died in 1981, was simply the tallest "living" man. (Ah, the fickle hand of fame). But there is one of my early heroes still residing in those hallowed pages: Robert Wadlow, who stood an incredible 8 ft. 11 in. tall.

Now you may remember me posting the clip about Sun Ming Ming, the Chinese Basketball Player/Freak who stands a hair over 7 ft. 8 in. Well, just for reference, keep in mind as you watch the following short documentary that Mr. Wadlow stood 15 inches taller than this guy!! That's 1 ft. 3 in. if you're keeping score at home.