I have a strange need to know the height of world leaders, famous stars, and average everyday people, dead and alive. Maybe it is because I myself am a below size person (5'6" tall). I'm fascinated when I find out the Stalin was only 5'5" tall. I never would have thought that looking at the pictures of him. His pictures, his infamy, his grand place in history would make me think he was a giant! The same goes with the manly Benito Mussolini, a very below average by modern standards 5 foot 6. I know these were the norms of the day, yet the exposure to 6'5 athletes makes it all the more incredible!

Many postulate that being short is a disadvantage, and being a short man, it is hard to disagree. Being short is, pardon this pun, like always being looked down upon. Even that saying tinges on heightism. Being tall, but not overly tall, is seen as healthier than being shorter or gigantic (of gigantism disposition) therefore females and males would look for a more average sized person when seeking a mate. Or when doing business, or when conversing in daily life. Studies have shown that being shorter correlates to being bullied when younger, leading to lower self-esteem which would lead to less success later on in life and pessimism towards other people in life ala 'Little Man's Syndrome'.

So, to wrap things up, how does your height effect your daily interactions with people and if you know anything about other world leaders, past and present, that were of below, above or of average height, please share. This is a fascinating subject to me that I feel is overlooked when examining daily life and history!

P.S. I thought about putting this in OT, then I figured World History would be more suitable for the scope of this discussion.

Contrary to popular assumption, Napoleon and you were the same height, at 5'6''. I'm only an inch taller.

Of course, at the other end, Peter the Great was 6'3'' and still had a fiery temper to boot.

I don't think my height has much of an effect, but of course there is nothing really remarkable about being 5'11".


I'm surprised you left of the most famous short conquerer of all: Napoleon Bonaparte, for whom the Napoleon Complex was named.

I presume Pepin the Short was probably short.

In the bible it says that King Saul was chosen to be king largely because he was so tall that few other Israelites would come up to his shoulders.

George Washington's height was also one of the main reason he was chosen to be the leader of the Continental Army, as he looked much more impressive than the other candidates.

I don't think my height has much of an effect, but of course there is nothing really remarkable about being 5'11".


I'm surprised you left of the most famous short conquerer of all: Napoleon Bonaparte, for whom the Napoleon Complex was named.

I presume Pepin the Short was probably short.

In the bible it says that King Saul was chosen to be king largely because he was so tall that few other Israelites would come up to his shoulders.

I didn't leave him out, because at his time, we has average height. What I want to know our those who were below average or above average at their time. Though, what I'm really curious to find out is: was Caesar tall, short? Alexander? Attila? Just small curiosities that some may know, most may not, or few will ever know.

I still admire Napoleon for having a complex named after him, it mayt even apply to me at times, but that shorter people have done great things. I'm biased, sure, it is still good history we can agree.

My grandfather says that we are taller now on average than we used to be 'cause heaps of trees have been cut down, and people are growing further towards the sun. Somehow I doubt the accuracy of this statement.

I have always been considered 'vertically challenged' by my friends, even now that I am about the same height as a lot of them (170ish). It seems to be that people see being overly short as worse than being overly tall, and maybe this has something to do with the male physical dominance thing. But I see being small in stature as an advantage. You don't have to duck under tree branches as much, you can hide easier (very useful in games of hide and seek), and you're further away from the sun, reducing your risk of skin cancer.

I remember that Calvin calls man "the five-foot worm", which says a lot about average heights in the sixteenth century. As I recall, people (at least in Europe) were pretty tall (not quite as tall as us now, but close) from around the eleventh to the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries, when agriculture was going well, and after that they shrank somewhat in Renaissance and early modern times. Even knowing this, I was surprised when I first saw the stuffed remains of Jeremy Bentham in UCL to see how tiny he looked. So I suppose it must have been later in the nineteenth century that people got a bit bigger again.

What I find more amazing is that there's such a large difference in average heights around the world - and I say this from my own experience! I've only thoroughly been to Europe and North America (well yeah, I've been to Asia and Africa, but only once in each and not very far - Turkey and Morocco respectively), and it's really interesting to see this.

Here, in Romania, I'm average-tallish, being over 180 cm (around 6 foot), taller than women and most men, but I can tell you that in Serbia and Croatia I am one of the shortest (male) persons around! Looking on the Internet I found that the average height in the mountains of Croatia is 186 cm (:eek:). And on the opposite end, in Morroco I was by far the tallest person I've normally seen on the streets.

According to wiki, the average height of the Dinka people in Sudan is 190 cm (6'3') while the pygmy adults have an average of 150 cm! (4'9'). That's pretty amazing IMO.

I didn't leave him out, because at his time, we has average height. What I want to know our those who were below average or above average at their time. Though, what I'm really curious to find out is: was Caesar tall, short? Alexander? Attila? Just small curiosities that some may know, most may not, or few will ever know.


Attila was pretty small apparently. A Roman historian describes him as 'small of stature', and the Romans weren't exactly the tallest lot.

If I recall, the average height of Native American men from what is now the Northeastern U.S. was about 6'5" when the Puritans arrived, which is nearly a foot taller than the average height of Puritans themselves. This was largely because most Europeans were severely malnourished compared to the North Americans. From what I hear there is no reason to think that humanity is getting taller, only that many people in the past were malnourished and that being malnourished can make people not grow as tall. Where food was plentiful people in ancient times were of comparable height to modern men, and of course some people are genetically inclined to be huge while others are small.

Mary, Queen of Scots was 5'11''.

Her first husband was always described as being short but he was younger and died before growing into adulthood.

My grandfather says that we are taller now on average than we used to be 'cause heaps of trees have been cut down, and people are growing further towards the sun. Somehow I doubt the accuracy of this statement.
That's flagrantly false, but the most awesome theory I've ever heard, so I've decided I'm going to quote it frmo now on, regardless of its inaccuracy.

The real reason people are taller is a combination of environmental improvements - people are, in general, better fed and cared for now - and the amount of hormones pumped into our food. That last one's a major reason why people are reaching puberty faster as well.

Attila was pretty small apparently. A Roman historian describes him as 'small of stature', and the Romans weren't exactly the tallest lot.
Attila the Hun was below 4ft 11in tall. This makes him the most famous MIDGET in world history.

It is interesting to note that Queen Mary II of England was 4 1/2 inches taller than her husband and co-monarch King William III.

My Great Grandfather (who died during a German bombraid on Warsaw in WW2) was 190 cm tall.
My Grandfather was below 170 cm, my father used to be 182 cm (he has started schrinking) and I am 192 cm tall.

Food has a lot to do with it apparently, as can be seen with my mother and her two sisters. My mothers oldest sister (bourn some then years after WW2 when conditions still where pretty bad around Warsaw) is around 160 cm tall, my mother (the middle child) is 170 cm tall and her 10 years younger sister is 183 cm tall.

I personaly am on the tallish side so I have developed a bad posture apparently to be able to communicate with people (like my 157 cm tall girlfriend). AN other disadvantage is that I hit my head more often than other people because I work in an old building where the dooropenings are only some 190 cm high.
An advantage is that I can reach a lot of things easily, for example change lightbulbs in the cieling without climbing up on furniture.

I'm 5'6" and I'm awesome. :smug:

Really, I don't think height has that much to do with how peeps behave. Tall guys at first get taken a bit more seriously, I think, but that's about it.

I'd say that Perfection's first line there rather militates against his second.

That's flagrantly false, but the most awesome theory I've ever heard, so I've decided I'm going to quote it frmo now on, regardless of its inaccuracy.

The real reason people are taller is a combination of environmental improvements - people are, in general, better fed and cared for now - and the amount of hormones pumped into our food. That last one's a major reason why people are reaching puberty faster as well.


Attila the Hun was below 4ft 11in tall. This makes him the most famous MIDGET in world history.

Midgets (not a technical term) and dwarfs are 4'10 and below, he still may have not been a dwarf ;).

Midgets (not a technical term) and dwarfs are 4'10 and below, he still may have not been a dwarf ;).
As I said, below 4'11". I'm pretty sure he was a dwarf, but midget is both a funnier word, and more common these days. I have no idea if he possessed the other physical symptoms of dwarfism, such as massive hands and an oversized head, but if he did, I'd think the Romans would have mentioned it.

From what I've heard Attila and Temujin were probably about average for a Hun or Mongolian. Neither nationality is generally very tall, and spending so much time on horseback means they tend to be bowlegged which can make them seem even shorter.

I'd say that Perfection's first line there rather militates against his second.My awesomeness has little to do with my height! :smug:

As I said, below 4'11".

That wouldn't necessarily make him 4'10" or less, though. He could have been 4'10 1/2".

My awesomeness has little to do with my height! :smug:

No, but your repeated assertion of it might.

That wouldn't necessarily make him 4'10" or less, though. He could have been 4'10 1/2".



No, but your repeated assertion of it might.
He was classified as midget-height, dammit! Don't come at me with all o' y'all technicalities.

No, but your repeated assertion of it might.Nope, not at all! :smug:

Of course, at the other end, Peter the Great was 6'3'' and still had a fiery temper to boot.

I always thought Peter the Great was actually about 6'8" (that's what wiki says for what it's worth.)

Also I believe that Admiral Zheng He was a 6'6" eunuch.

Charlemagne was supposedly 6'4"

Englebert Dolfuss was 4'11"

Nikita Krushchev was 5'3"

6'6? 6'4? WTF does that mean?

I'm just a average 170m dude, and amongst my group of friends, I'm the smallest.

This probrably explains why people rarely take me seriously.

6'6? 6'4? WTF does that mean?

In the old world, they used what are called imperial measurements. God only knows why. So 6'6 means six foot and six inches, and 6'4 means six foot and four inches. There are 30.48 cm to a foot, and 2.54 cm to an inch. On foot is twelve inches, so 6'6 is six and a half feet. That means 6'6 is about 198 cm, and 6'4 is about 193 cm.

6'6? 6'4? WTF does that mean?

I'm just a average 170m dude, and amongst my group of friends, I'm the smallest.

This probrably explains why people rarely take me seriously.
Feet and inches. And I didn't realise they had the internet up in beanstalks now. How's the weather up there? Can I have some golden eggs? Or better yet, some geese that lay them?

I'm just a average 170m dude, and amongst my group of friends, I'm the smallest.

This probrably explains why people rarely take me seriously.
They rarely take you seriously because you confuse centimeters with meters.

His friends must be pretty amazing for him to be the smallest of them, imagine a group of people taller than many skyscrapers, walking around. :p

if i wouldnt respect the history forum, i'd now post a picture from "attack of the 50 foot woman".

I'm six foot five inches, and I'm only 14.

Hopefully that'll help me in politics one day, when I tower over my opponents. ;)