6. Napoleon, the little corporal
The prevailing image of Napoleon Bonaparte is that of a short, fat guy in pompous uniform throwing fits whenever things didn’t go his way. There’s even a psychological condition named after him, called Napoleon’s complex, because of that. The truth is he was 5’7’’, above average height for early 19th century, which was 5’5’’ in France. The myth probably originated because he was always surrounded by his guards in public, who were, like all guards, selected because of their physical appearance and were all taller than him. English propaganda welcomed the myth and did all in its power to spread it all over the world.
