Historically Tall

While the average height of humans has increased as diet and general health conditions improved, there have always been a few taller than average people around to leave a legacy.

The Height of Jesus
Israeli and British forensic anthropologists and computer programmers got together to create a scientifically accurate depiction of Jesus Christ. The face was featured on the cover of Popular Mechanics magazine, which occasionally veers from its usual coverage of motors and tools to cover the merger of science and religion.

The Jesus of Nazareth pictured on the cover of the magazine has a broad peasant's face, dark olive skin, short curly hair and a prominent nose. The composite was created using data from contemporaries of Jesus, who would have stood 5-foot-1-inch tall and weighed 110 pounds, if the magazine is to be believed. more--»

Investigating Lincoln's Height
Historians have long puzzled over whether Abraham Lincoln might have had a genetic disorder called Marfan syndrome, but new research has members of the beloved president's family tree wondering if his clumsy gait may actually have been caused by something else. more--»

Giant Emperor of Ancient Rome
Caius Julius Verus Maximinus, the first giant emperor, rose from the lowest ranks of the Roman army to general; then the bloody assassin's sword suddenly made him the world's most powerful man. more--»

Tallest Man Ever
Robert Wadlow was the tallest man ever, as documented by Guiness Book of World Records. He was 8ft11 and reportedly weighed 490 Lbs more--»

The Yorkshire Giant
William "Giant" Bradley was the tallest man ever born in Great Britain. Born in 1787, he grew to a reported height of 7ft9. more--»

Tallest At The Time
This article claims that equestrian Indian tribes on the American Plains in the late 1800s were the tallest people in the world, suggesting that they were surprisingly well-nourished given disease and their lifestyle, a new study found. more--»

Tall Medieval Men
There's a frequently-encountered assumption that the average height of humans has grown steadily taller as the centuries have progressed. However, studies have shown that the average height of a population is related to general health and economic well-being, which is affected by such factors as climate changes, the growth of cities, war and population cycles. Thus, average height fluctuated throughout history.

And it turns out medieval men weren't a whole lot shorter, on average, than men of the new millennium. A recent study conducted at Ohio State University, based on skeletal data from 30 previous studies, reveals that men living during the 9th to 11th centuries had an average height of about 5 feet 8 inches.

Average height then steadily declined until it reached a low point of 5 feet 5.5 inches in the 17th and 18th centuries, rising again through the 19th century and only reaching prior heights in the first half of the 20th century. An article on the study by Richard Steckel appears in the Social Science History journal.

According to the feature by Jennifer Warner at WebMD, Dr. Steckel noted that "Average height is a good way to measure the availability and consumption of basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and exposure to disease." Frequent wars and a rise in the spread of deadly diseases impacted population health and height, as well.

Today, average height in American men is about 5 feet 9 inches and in American women 5 feet 4 inches. According to a study completed in 2002 (see the article by John Carvel at the Guardian), Britons have similar average heights, while most Europeans are an inch or two shorter. The exception is the Dutch, who are about three inches taller than Brits and Americans.