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As of 2021, Robert Pershing Wadlow is the tallest person "of whom there is irrefutable evidence." His height was 8 feet 11 inches. His great size and his continued growth in adulthood were due to hypertrophy of his pituitary gland, which results in an abnormally high level of human growth hormone (HGH). He weighed 439 pounds. His shoe size was 37AA. His ring size was 25. His hands measured 32.3 centimeters (12.75 inches) from his wrist to the tip of his middle finger. He was born on February 22, 1918. At 1 year old, he was 3 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 45 pounds. At age 3, he was 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 89 pounds. At age 4, he was 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 105 pounds. At age 5, he was 5 feet 6 and a half inches tall and weighed 140 pounds. At age 5, attending kindergarten, he wore clothes that could fit a 17 year old boy. At age 7, he was 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed 159 pounds. At age 9, he was 6 feet 2 and a half inches tall and weighed 180 pounds. At age 9, he was was strong enough to carry his dad (who was sitting in a living room chair) up the stairs to the second floor. At age 10, he was 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 211 pounds. At age 11, he was 6 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 241 pounds. At age 12, he was 7 feet 0 inches tall and weighed 287 pounds. At age 13, he was 7 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 270 pounds. At age 13, he was the world's tallest Boy Scout, averaging a growth of 4 inches per year since birth and wearing size 19 (U.S.) shoes. At age 14, he was 7 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 331 pounds. At age 15, he was 7 feet 10 inches tall and weighed 354 pounds. At age 16, he was 8 feet 1 inch tall and weighed 374 pounds. At age 17, he was 8 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 382 pounds. At age 19, he was 8 feet 6 and a half inches tall and weighed 480 pounds. At age 21, he was 8 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 491 pounds. At age 22, he was 8 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 439 pounds. He died at age 22. His cause of death was during a professional appearance at the Manistee National Forest Festival. A faulty brace irritated his ankle, leading to infection. He was treated with a blood transfusion and surgery but his condition worsened due to an autoimmune disorder. He died in his sleep on July 15, 1940. His coffin measured 10 feet 9 inches long by 2 feet 8 inches wide by 2 feet 6 inches deep, weighed over 1,000 pounds and was carried by 12 pallbearers and 8 assistants. He was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Upper Alton, Madison County, Illinois.