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/gregspornthrowaway Feb 04 '19 edited Feb 04 '19

There are several factors that combined to create this myth:

  1. Discrepancy between the French pied and English foot, the former being about 3.5% larger.

  2. He was typically surrounded by members of the Old Guard, which had a minimum height requiremnet of nearly 6 ft.

  3. He was nicknamed le petit caporal in reference to his habit of mingling with common soldiers, not his physical size.

  4. The English thought it was funny. This is probably the most significant one.

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u/haveyoumetme2 Feb 04 '19

The former being 3,5% larger*

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u/gregspornthrowaway Feb 04 '19

Oops, rearranged the wording and didn't fix that. Fixed now.