On January 9, 1881, Édouard J. Beaupré was born in Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan. He was born at a normal size, but started growing at the age of three at a high rate. By the time he was nine, Édouard was six feet tall. At the age of 12 he was 6′6″. At 17 he was over 7 feet tall. He worked briefly on a cattle ranch in the United States, but then joined the circus. He practiced feats of strength such as wrestling and lifting heavy weights, at one point lifting a 900 pound horse. The performances and his abnormally fast growth took a toll on his body, and he died of tuberculosis at the age of 23. An autopsy showed that a tumor in his pituitary gland had caused his gigantism. Édouard’s body was put on various displays before being kept at Montreal University. He was finally cremated in 1989.
Sources:
http://www.willowbunch.ca/wb/history/BeaupreEdouard/index.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edouard_Beaupr%C3%A9
http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=6549
