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 pounds (486 kg).
He was born "weighing a hefty but not abnormal" 11 pounds 4 ounces (5.1 kg)[2][3] and was a "fairly average-size baby until he contracted whooping cough at about five months old.
At season's end, he returned to Guy's farm, unable to walk more than 20 feet (6.1 m) without the assistance of family members, who would follow closely, lugging a five-foot (1.5 m) wide, steel-reinforced chair in case of exhaustion.
[1] While traveling with the roadshow in Nappanee, Indiana, Hughes developed a rash, and the flesh under his fingernails turned blue.
Because he was unable to be moved to the nearest hospital in Bremen, Indiana, doctors treated him at his trailer, and determined he was suffering from measles.