How Tall is Tall?

Just doing some research on tall people. Just curious how tall is tall. I know, I need a day job. It's just that once I get thinking about this stuff I need to find out. It's a sickness I think, maybe more like an obsession.

Anyway, I discovered Robert Wadlow is the tallest person in modern history. This guy was not quite nine feet tall. (Really, just an inch short, but those are trifles).

Can you imagine this? At that height, the average man would come to his belt! He wore a size 37 shoe. I wonder if he got many colds, half of him was laying on the floor.

Fact is, he was a shoe salesman. Now that would convince you wouldn't it? I'll tell you what, if a nine foot guy with a size 37 shoe, weighing 370 pounds told me to buy some shoes, I'd do it. "Sure I'll buy your shoes sir. But do you have smaller sizes?" (No? No problem I'll take the 37s, I need a planter box for my garden roses.)

He continued to grow and if it wasn't for the fact that he died at age 22, he would have grown even taller. (Perhaps he would have grown to Goliath's size, which was 9' 5" see 1 Samuel 17). Back then, there wasn't treatment for an over active pituitary gland so he would have had to continue looking for bigger beds. Sort of an Alice in Wonderland dilemma.

If I ever get a chance to visit Alton, Illinois, I'm going to stand next to him (well, a statue of him anyway) and see how I measure up. I may just clear his shoe laces.

...dave
You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was. -Abraham Lincoln