Myths

We owe the myth of Napoleon’s height to British political cartoonist James Gillray, who had never met Bonaparte. In real life, the legendary general was about 5’6” (1.69 meters)—an average height for a man of his time. Gillray’s  “Maniac-ravings-or-Little Boney in a strong fit” (1803) was based on a genuine incident which happened in 1803 […]