"The only admissible evidence upon the true height of giants is that of recent date made under impartial medical supervision."
These were the words of Norris and Ross McWhirter, the founders of Guinness World Records, in 1955. They went on to dismiss claims for legendary giants such as the biblical Og, King of Bashan (allegedly 9 Assyrian cubits, or 494.03 cm/16 ft 2.5 in tall), citing "confusion of units".
The twins then named Robert Wadlow as the tallest man "of whom there is irrefutable evidence".
When last measured on 27 June 1940, the mild-mannered American stretched a staggering 2.72 m (8 ft 11.1 in) tall.
Perhaps surprisingly, Robert entered the world no differently to most babies. He was born on 22 February 1918 to two regular-sized parents, weighing an unremarkable 3.85 kg (8.7 lb).