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Revision as of 06:16, 27 April 2022 editShajure (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users2,185 edits →Death: CE... that is all sourced to 1 source, no need to list it 3 times in 1 para.Tag: 2017 wikitext editor← Previous edit Revision as of 17:55, 27 April 2022 edit undo70.57.107.19 (talk) →Career: Sentence flowTags: Mobile edit Mobile web editNext edit →
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Hughes made some income from selling photographs of himself.<ref name= hwhig2007 /> During his adult life, Hughes made guest appearances at carnivals and fairs.<ref name= FH /> At age 27,<ref name= look>{{cite news| url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aOorAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aWcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1140,1102476&dq=robert-earl-hughes&hl=en |title= It's All in How You Look at It| work= ]| date= 1966-07-13 | via= Google News | access-date= 2020-02-05}}</ref> he joined a travelling roadshow, often accompanied by some of his family.<ref name= hwhig2007 /> Plans to appear on '']'' ] television program were announced but never materialised.<ref name="Reporter">{{cite news|last=Luciano|first=Phil|url=http://www.washingtontimesreporter.com/state_news/x688587697|title=World's Heaviest Man: The last chapter of Robert Earl Hughes' remarkable life|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304152514/http://www.washingtontimesreporter.com/state_news/x688587697|archive-date=March 4, 2012}}</ref> Hughes made some income from selling photographs of himself.<ref name= hwhig2007 /> During his adult life, Hughes made guest appearances at carnivals and fairs.<ref name= FH /> At age 27,<ref name= look>{{cite news| url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aOorAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aWcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1140,1102476&dq=robert-earl-hughes&hl=en |title= It's All in How You Look at It| work= ]| date= 1966-07-13 | via= Google News | access-date= 2020-02-05}}</ref> he joined a travelling roadshow, often accompanied by some of his family.<ref name= hwhig2007 /> Plans to appear on '']'' ] television program were announced but never materialised.<ref name="Reporter">{{cite news|last=Luciano|first=Phil|url=http://www.washingtontimesreporter.com/state_news/x688587697|title=World's Heaviest Man: The last chapter of Robert Earl Hughes' remarkable life|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304152514/http://www.washingtontimesreporter.com/state_news/x688587697|archive-date=March 4, 2012}}</ref>


In 1957, travelling with his brother Guy and Guy's wife Lillian, Robert had bookings throughout the country. Walking, even with his massive cane, had started to be difficult for the 31-year-old. Word reached him at a carnival that his father had died at age 79. Guy and Lillian returned to Illinois for the funeral, but Robert stayed on, believing it his duty to honour his commitments. At season's end, he returned to Guy's farm, unable to walk more than {{cvt|20|ft|m}} without the assistance of family members, who would follow closely, lugging a 5-foot- (1.5 meter-) wide, steel-reinforced chair in case of exhaustion.<ref>{{cite web |title=Heavy |url=https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/June-2001/Heavy/ |website=chicagomag.com |publisher=Chicago Magazine |access-date=11 April 2022}}</ref> In 1957, travelling with his brother Guy and Guy's wife Lillian, Robert had bookings throughout the country. Walking, even with his massive cane, had started to be difficult for the 31-year-old. Word reached him at a carnival that his father had died at age 79. Guy and Lillian returned to Illinois for the funeral, but Robert stayed on, believing it was his duty to honour his commitments. At season's end, he returned to Guy's farm, unable to walk more than {{cvt|20|ft|m}} without the assistance of family members, who would follow closely, lugging a 5-foot- (1.5 meter-) wide, steel-reinforced chair in case of exhaustion.<ref>{{cite web |title=Heavy |url=https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/June-2001/Heavy/ |website=chicagomag.com |publisher=Chicago Magazine |access-date=11 April 2022}}</ref>


==Death== ==Death==

Revision as of 17:55, 27 April 2022

Robert Earl Hughes
BornJune 4, 1926
Monticello, Missouri, US
DiedJuly 10, 1958 (aged 32)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Entertainer and Sideshow performer
Known forThe heaviest human to walk unassisted, The heaviest human in the world during his lifetime

Robert Earl Hughes (June 4, 1926 – July 10, 1958) was an American man who was, during his lifetime, the heaviest human being recorded, weighing 1,071 lb (486 kg). He remains the heaviest human in the world able to walk without the need of assistance.

Early life and family

Robert Hughes was born in Monticello, Missouri, the son of Abraham Guy Hughes (1878–1957) and Georgia Alice Weatharby (1906–1947). He was born "weighing a hefty but not abnormal" 11 lb 4 oz (5.1 kg) and was a "fairly average-size baby until he contracted whooping cough at about five months old." The whooping cough was believed to have played a role in his extraordinary weight gain. At age six, he weighed 175 lb (79 kg); at ten, he weighed 380 lb (170 kg).

The family moved to Fishhook, Illinois, when Robert was six months old. He had two younger brothers, Guy B. Hughes (1927–2006) and Donald Hughes (1929–2012).

Condition

During his lifetime, he was the heaviest human on earth. Unlike most people of great weight, he was not bed-bound, and he holds to this day the record of the heaviest human to walk. Hughes's extreme weight was attributed to a ruptured thyroid gland. He reached a peak weight of 1,071 lb (486 kg), with a chest measured at 10.3 ft (3.1 m).

Hughes was so mobile in 1944 at age 18 that he was drafted into the army. He weighed 709 lb (322 kg). After 21 months in the army, he was discharged.

Several newspapers from 1956 noted that Hughes at 30 years old weighed 1,041 lb (472 kg). "Nobody thought to take his measurements at his latest weighing. But at 946 pounds , Hughes' waist was an unbelievable 115 inches ."

Career

Hughes made some income from selling photographs of himself. During his adult life, Hughes made guest appearances at carnivals and fairs. At age 27, he joined a travelling roadshow, often accompanied by some of his family. Plans to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show variety television program were announced but never materialised.

In 1957, travelling with his brother Guy and Guy's wife Lillian, Robert had bookings throughout the country. Walking, even with his massive cane, had started to be difficult for the 31-year-old. Word reached him at a carnival that his father had died at age 79. Guy and Lillian returned to Illinois for the funeral, but Robert stayed on, believing it was his duty to honour his commitments. At season's end, he returned to Guy's farm, unable to walk more than 20 ft (6.1 m) without the assistance of family members, who would follow closely, lugging a 5-foot- (1.5 meter-) wide, steel-reinforced chair in case of exhaustion.

Death

On July 10, 1958, Hughes contracted a case of measles, while travelling with the roadshow. He developed a rash in Nappanee, Indiana, and his fingernails turned dark blue. Because he was unable to be treated at the nearest hospital in Bremen, Indiana, doctors treated him at his trailer. However, he developed uremia and they were unable to save him.

He died at the age of 32, weighing 1,041 lb (472 kg). He was buried in a small church cemetery in Benville, Illinois, in Brown County near his hometown, Fishhook. About 2,000 people attended the funeral.

He is erroneously said to have been buried in a piano case. This common error stemmed from a sentence that appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records: "He was buried in a coffin the size of a piano case." His headstone notes that he was the world's heaviest man at a confirmed 1,041 lb (472 kg).

See also

Additional reading

References

  1. "Heavy".
  2. ^ Gertz Husar, Deborah (June 12, 2007). "Robert Earl Hughes was a gentle giant". The Herald-Whig. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  3. "710 Pound Youth". Life. 1946-10-07. pp. 81–82, 84. Retrieved 2020-02-05 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Moreno, Rich (2010-02-04). "The Biggest Man in Fishhook, IL. Ever". Exploring Illinois. Retrieved 2020-02-05 – via blogspot.com.
  5. "Robert Earl Hughes (1926-1958) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  6. Ripley's Believe It or Not!
  7. ^ "It's All in How You Look at It". Kentucky New Era. 1966-07-13. Retrieved 2020-02-05 – via Google News.
  8. ^ Luciano, Phil. "World's Heaviest Man: The last chapter of Robert Earl Hughes' remarkable life". Washington Times Reporter. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012.
  9. "Heavy". chicagomag.com. Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  10. "Fishhook, Illinois to Benville, Illinois". How Far Is It? Distance Server. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  11. "Heavy". chicagomag.com. Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  12. "Robert Earl Hughes (1926-1958)". findagrave.com. Find A Grave. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
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