Source link : https://las-vegas-news.com/10-historical-myths-people-still-believe-2/
The Little Emperor Who Wasn’t So Little
Napoleon Bonaparte stands in our minds as a short, angry man compensating for his stature through military conquest. Yet this image couldn’t be further from the truth. The French emperor was probably closer to five feet six or five feet seven inches, which was typical in the 19th century when most Frenchmen stood between five feet two and five feet six inches tall.
Upon Napoleon’s death in 1821, his height was recorded as five feet two inches in French measurement, but the 19th-century French inch measured 2.71 cm rather than 2.54 cm, creating a lasting misunderstanding. British cartoonists like James Gillray seized upon this confusion, routinely depicting Napoleon as diminutive to mock him during the Napoleonic Wars.
The myth persists partly because Napoleon surrounded himself with his Imperial Guard, elite soldiers selected specifically for their height. Standing next to men over six feet tall made the average-height emperor appear shorter than he actually was. It’s hard to say for sure, but sometimes a good caricature sticks better than documented facts.
Vikings Never Wore Those Iconic Horns
Despite years of archaeological searching, researchers have yet to uncover a single Viking-era helmet embellished with horns, and in fact only one complete helmet that can definitively be called…
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Author : Matthias Binder
Publish date : 2026-01-13 22:50:00
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