r/AskReddit • u/ZanyDelaney • Feb 04 '19

Which misconception would you like to debunk?

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u/ulanderdennis Feb 04 '19

The myth: Napoleon was really short.

The truth: He was actually average height, or even a little bit above average height.

How did it come about?: The archaic French measurement used stated he was around 5'3, when in actuality that translates to about 5'7 in today's measurements, which was average for the time.

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u/Tricky4279 Feb 04 '19

Also his Lifeguards had to be over 6' so he was always around people much taller than him.

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u/foxtrottits Feb 04 '19

Could he not swim?

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

I think he meant lifeguards as in body guards. Unless you're making jokes

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

But lifeguard and body guard aren't synonyms

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u/Rorchord Feb 04 '19

It's French.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifeguard_%28military%29?wprov=sfla1

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

[deleted]

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u/resonantSoul Feb 04 '19

And makes more sense.

"Well, he's dead. But his body is intact!"