[Frank Lentini] stopped in, when they first bought the property, and as they had carny friends that came and parked their trailers so they could go fishing, the first thing built was the bait shop, since fishing was what brought them here to begin with. The next time Frank came through, he was surprised to see how much had been done on the trailer park and bait house. Also by then, a few of the front five cottages had also been built. He asked my Dad what he was going to call the place, and he said he hadn't even thought of calling it anything other than "Home" (which the family still calls it, and it has been home to many people). So Frank said, "Why not call it the Giant's Camp?" He did, and the rest is history.

CAPT. GEO. AUGER,
CARDIFF GIANT.
TALLEST MAN ON EARTH. 23 YEARS OF AGE.
WEIGHS 320 POUNDS.
BORN IN CARDIFF, WALES.
SIZE OF HAT, 7 3-4; COLLAR, 18; SHOE, 16.

During the trial, George Hull stepped forward and revealed that he had masterminded this fraud years earlier by hiring stonemasons in Chicago to craft the Cardiff Giant from a large block of gypsum. The masons worked in absolute secrecy, carving in their spare time in a secluded barn. The sculpture was given the patina of age through the liberal use of darning needles, ink, water and sulfuric acid. Hull shipped the finished product to his cousin William Newell's farm and secretly buried it under cover of darkness beside the barn with the help of Newell and his sons in anticipation of its eventual 'discovery' the following year. This was precipitated by an important fossil find nearby. The timing was right, so Hull signalled his cousin to have the giant unearthed.

The judge dismissed Hannum's slander claim, ruling that Barnum had been absolutely correct in describing Hannum's giant as a fraud.

So, it may be that George Auger — whether from the original Cardiff in Wales or not — took a name hearkening back to the earlier giant in his own presentation. One thing is certain: Auger's height was no fraud.

Machnow appeared with several circuses, affecting a sort of nutcracker-like persona. As was the custom, he was often to be seen in the company of midgets.

Gottlieb and Elfriede met when both were booked in a London dance revue. A romance bloomed, followed by a wedding in November 1933. In 1937 the giant couple made their way to America, where they were initially billed as Mr. & Mrs. Long on the Hagenbeck-Wallace and Cole Brothers circuses. When picked up by Ringling Brothers, they resumed their actual names and affected western attire.

The Fischer's retired from show business in 1948 to run a motel near Sarasota, Florida.

GREETINGS FROM THE BIGGEST COUPLE
MR. & MRS. FISCHER
WITH THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

Like many sideshow giants, Jack Earle supplemented his income by selling a giant ring, reportedly sized to fit his hand. I cannot say whether this is true in Earle's case, but it should be noted many giants offered rings that considerably exaggerated the size of their finger.

This ring is a bit more ornate than most, with a low-relief decoration of roses on the band. The face of the ring says "JACK EARLE — 8 FT 6 1/2 — GIANT".

JOHANN K. PETURSSON
Tallest man in the world
Born 1913 — In Iceland

Parents, 8 Sisters and Brothers all of normal size. My weight — 9 lbs. at birth. By the age of twenty I was 8'8". Weight — 425 lbs. Shoe size 24. All clothes made to order.

P.S. Except handkerchief.

Carmel was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and emigrated to the United States at the age of two. Although his parents were of average size, their infant son's large size (16 pounds at birth) was likely genetic, as Eddie's maternal grandfather stood 7 feet 5 inches tall and was known as the world's tallest rabbi (a category surprisingly overlooked in the record books). By the age of seventeen Eddie Carmel was well on his way to meeting his grandfather's height. Midway through his business studies at City College, Carmel realized that his most likely vocation was to be found exhibiting his massive frame. He dropped out of school to pursue a show career, which included a brief stint with a rock band called Frankenstein and the Brain Surgeons. In 1962, Carmel was cast in the horror flick The Brain That Wouldn't Die. However, such parts were hard to come by, so Carmel entered the sideshow circuit to supplement his income.

Carmel appeared with Milt Levine's World of Mirth and with Ringling Brothers during their annual Madison Square Garden gigs. He earned considerable amounts of money as a feature attraction, but Eddie disliked the routine. Furthermore, by the late 1960's his acromegaly had worsened, and began to cause him great pain. He was no longer able to climb the platform and stand for long periods of time, and so retired in 1969. Shortly afterwards Carmel was no longer able to walk. His heart finally gave out on 30 July 1972.

This petty cash receipt represents Eddie Carmel's portion of the ticket sales from an appearance in Meadville, Pennsylvania, on 28 August 1964.

Robert Wadlow was born to Addie and Harold Wadlow in Alton, Illinois, on 22 February 1918. Although he weighed a rather normal 8-pounds 6-ounces at birth, Robert's overactive pituitary gland quickly accelerated his growth. By the age of six months, Robert already weighed in at 30 pounds, and was a hefty 42 pounds by the time he started to walk. This astonishing rate of growth continued unhindered, and by the age of eight Robert was already 6 feet 2 inches tall.

Of course, Robert's size attracted considerable interest. Local and national papers followed his developments and cameras were on hand when Robert, at 13-years-old and 7-feet 4-inches tall, achieved the title of "World's Tallest Boy Scout". Shortly after, the media documented his entry into the Masonic youth organization DeMolay and then the Freemasons (where one assumes he also holds the respective records). Robert officially became the world's tallest man in 1937, when at the height of 8-feet 4-inches he surpassed the height of the Irish giant O'Brien (a.k.a., Charles Byrne), who died in 1783.

By the age of 20, Robert's specially made shoes cost approximately $100 a pair, which was quite a considerable sum for the 1930's. The International Shoe Company began to provide his shoes free of charge, and Robert became the company's traveling ambassador, visiting eight hundred towns in forty-one states. Robert's father, who would act as chauffeur, modified the family sedan by removing the front passenger seat so that Robert could sit in the back and stretch his long legs. Together, Robert and his father traveled over 300,000 miles in three years on behalf of International Shoes.

One consequence of Robert's size was that he had very little feeling in his feet. Often, he was unaware of problems until blisters had already formed. While appearing in Manistee, Michigan, in July 1940, Robert developed blood poisoning from an infected blister on his foot. On 4 July, doctors confined Wadlow to the bed in his hotel room because no local hospital was able to accommodate him. Robert Wadlow died at 1:30 A.M. on 15 July 1940. Ironically, the man who traveled on behalf of a shoe company was done in by an ill-fitting shoe.

Robert's body was returned to his hometown for burial. At the time of his death, Robert Wadlow, The Alton Giant, was 8-feet 11.1-inches tall and weighed 490 pounds. His 1,000-pound coffin required a dozen pallbearers assisted by eight more men. Tens of thousands attended his funeral.

The reverse of this card was inscribed as follows by someone who attended one of Robert Wadlow's shoe promotions:

I seen Robert in Purcell.
Age 22 — weight 491
Height 8 feet 9 inches
Weight at birth 8 1/2 lb.
Weight at 6 mo 30lb
Weight at 18 mo 62lb
Weight at 9 years 180
Height at 9 years 6ft 1in.
Size of shoe 37A

Died 1 month later from blood poison