I am really getting tired of hearing how short Napoleon was. He was not short, he was of average height. He was 5 feet six inches tall. Before beginning his autopsy on the body of Napoleon, Dr. Antommarchi measured it. It came to 1.686 metres.
Now five feet six inches is not that short at all. In American history John Adams was around five feet six inches, as was his son, John Quincy. President James Madison was only five feet four inches. I think there has been many issues that have messed up our understanding of Napoleon's height.
First off the measure of Napoleon was done in French metres. Secondly, Genl. Tom Thumb, who worked with P.T. Barnum, was always dressed like Napoleon. Since Tom Thumb was very small the image began to sink into the public that Napoleon must have been very short too. Well that is not so. He was of normal height for the times.
So perhaps someone who has a Napoleon complex may have to think about it a bit. Maybe they might have a James Madison complex.
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