Illinois Bicentennial, 20 Oddities-- Part 4: World's Tallest Man

WORLD'S TALLEST MAN

Alton, 2810 College Avenue

See how you measure up to this life-sized statue of the tallest man, Alton native Robert Pershing Wadlow, who was less than an inch shy of 9 feet when he died in 1940.

Known as Alton's "Gentle Giant,"  Wadlow was born a century ago with a pituitary gland disorder that caused his imposing growth.  By age five, he was already 5.5 feet tall.  The local movie theater reserved a special place for him:  one seat to sit in and four more for his long limbs.

Near the statue is a bronze cast of another chair, this one designed for his extraordinary frame.

Learn more about the city's beloved ambassador in a Wadlow exhibit across the street at the Alton Museum of History and Art.

I Want Him On My Basketball Team.  Take That LeBron!!  --RoadDog