Robert Wadlow of Alton, Illinois, the tallest human who ever lived to that point, had a pituitary condition that caused him to grow ceaselessly because of continuous overproduction of growth hormone. A shy and cheerful soul, he was taller than his (normal-sized) father by the age of eight, was 6 feet 11 inches tall at the age of twelve, and over 8 feet tall when he graduated from high school in 1936—all because of a little chemical overexertion by this baked bean in the middle of his skull. He never stopped growing and was just a fraction under 9 feet tall at his greatest eminence. Though not
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