17. Napoleon was not so short after all
Napoleon Bonaparte was known in British propaganda during his lifetime as an exceedingly short man, so illustrated in cartoons and broadsheets. After his death doctors who performed his autopsy recorded his height at 5′ 2″, using the French system of measurement. That height converts to just under 5′ 7″ in the British system, meaning that Napoleon was of average height for his day. One reason for his often being depicted as short was the physical requirements for his personal guard, all of whom were outsized men, further enhanced by the wearing of tall bearskin hats which added to the appearance of great size. The presentation of Napoleon’s diminutive stature continues to the present day.