The world’s tallest man.

Known as the “Alton Giant,” Robert Wadlow from Alton, IL, reached a towering height of 8ft 11”. Wadlow suffered from hyperplasia of his pituitary gland, which created unnatural amounts of growth hormones. He spent parts of his life appearing at events throughout the US, including the Ringling Brothers act. His ceaseless growth eventually took his life at the age of 22, in 1940.

Today, a life-size memorial statue stands above Alton.