American's No Longer World's Tallest

NEW YORK -- America used to be the tallest country in the world.

From the days of the founding fathers right on through the industrial revolution and two world wars, Americans towered over other nations. In a land of boundless open spaces and limitless natural abundance, the young nation transformed its increasing wealth into human growth.

But just as it has in so many other arenas, America's predominance in height has faded. Americans reached a height plateau after World War II, gradually falling behind the rest of the world as it continued growing taller.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationw...,0,4903089.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

 

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We eat crap in America, fastfood, processed food, sodas. It's no surprise that we are getting shorter and fatter. Thank god my mom forced me to eat fruits & vegetables regularly.

 

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What a load of rubbish, all in family are tall, dad and my uncle were raised in the war years with rationing and long working hours they are 6ft 2in,
grandad fought in WW1 he was over 6ft.

 

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So, because your family is tall that means that the national average must not be decreasing, and other national averages must not be increasing?
I don't understand your reasoning. :shrug:

Is your world really that miniscule?

 

Ummm, what's rubbish is your use of a single datum point (ie. your family) to argue against a national statistical trend.

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The postulated national trend may not be real (never accept the accuracy of science news in the mainstream popular press), but your "family evidence" certainly does not count as evidence against it.

 

It certainly does provide evidence against it, if just one family has poorly nourished tall members, i use my own eyes and if any thing it is striking to see so many teenagers above 6ft, as for pop press

 

I think the change has something to do with the influx of the many very small hispanic peoples coming to America.

 

Fewer and fewer people grow up on farms. Around here I see more and more apartments going up. Growing up, the streets were packed with kids playing. Now everyone seems to be inside in front of a TV. While everyones mental world gets bigger (due to internet), their physical world gets smaller.


We know environment can affect heights by three, four, five inches," said Richard H. Steckel, an Ohio State University economist who has also done research on height trends in the United States during the 19th century

 

I never knew Americans were ever the tallest.

I know that they are the fattest though. A couple of years ago I read they beat out some island where all the people were "naturaly fat", whatever that means.

The US also has the most diet foods and sells the most exorcise equipment and gym memberships.

Is this because everyone is fat and trying to get in shape, or some sort of irony? or both?

 

The article doesn't state that Americans are shorter than in the past. The article states that some other cultures are getting taller. The American average is still 'very tall' on a world scale but just not 'the tallest'.

It would be odd if countries like the USA, Canada, Australia, etc. were 'the tallest' in this era in which most modern nations have adequate nutrition. We're a hodgepodge of genetic diversity . One would expect a nation with natural height combined with good nutrition to be the tallest (such as it is, the Netherlands).

 

Mexican's work on farms, and there still short.

 

Mexican's height correlates with their terrible nutritional problems.

 

What about Japanese, their short and have great nutritional habits?

 

That is addressed in the link from the first post. Japanese young adults are equal in height to Americans.

 

and they all live in a 3x3 cubicle.

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It's pure irony. Almost every single one of my friends has a gym membership but does not use it ~ I guess it makes us feel like were actually doing something counterproductive to eating McDonald's planted in front of the boob tube everyday.

 

This probably will be perceived as racism but dont a lot of tall african americans prop up the average ?

 

Hey Enmos I was thinking the same thing... American Indians are pretty tall, Africans are pretty tall, Northern Europeans are pretty tall - and the US becoming the ever more 'melting pot' by the day.... it HAS to have something to do with the height average right?

 

Native Northern Mexicans are as tall as 6ft or more. See Vincente Fox and others. Southern Mexicans and Central Americans are short.

 

Mexico: Military data height findings: average Mexican males are 5' 5" (166 cm) tall and females are 5' 2" (150 cm) tall.

http://www.wonderquest.com/size-women-memory.htm