Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Dutch now taller than Americans

This one goes out to my dear darling (and very tall) brothers -
It's a good thing you guys grew up in America!

America used to be the tallest country in the world.

From the days of the Founding Fathers through the Industrial Revolution and two world wars, Americans literally towered over people of other nations.

But America's predominance in height has faded. Americans reached a height plateau after World War II, gradually falling behind nations around the world.

By the time the first baby boomers reached adulthood in the 1960s, most northern and western European countries had caught up with and surpassed the U.S. Young adults in Japan and other prosperous Asian countries now stand nearly as tall as Americans. In the Netherlands, the tallest country in the world, the typical man now measures 6 feet, a good 2 inches more than his average American counterpart.


Full Article via Steve Van Deist