World of the Bizarre

Rare new footage emerges of the world's tallest ever man

By T.K. Randall
September 3, 2025

Image: The First Guinness Book of Records
Credit: Whowhooh / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) Born in Illinois in 1918, Robert Wadlow was taller than his father by the time he was just 8 years old and was so large that a custom desk had to be created for him at elementary school.

By the time he graduated high school, he was 8 ft 4 in and his growth didn't stop there.

It wasn't long before Wadlow became something of a celebrity - standing at 8ft 11.1 inches, he wasn't just the world's tallest living man, he was the tallest man in recorded history.

Even today, there has never been anyone taller than he was.During his short life he traveled all over the world, met lots of famous people and wowed crowds with his enormous stature.

Sadly, his size also brought with it health complications, resulting in his death at the age of just 22.

Now, new never-before-seen footage of Wadlow has been published for the first time by Guinness World Records.

It was provided by Bruce Jensen whose family lived next to the Wadlows in Illinois.

You can check out the footage for yourself below.


Source: Guinness World Records

Tags: Robert Wadlow