The U.S. Is No Longer A Tall Tale

Americans No Longer Tallest Nationality; Dutch Are

(CBS/AP)  America used to be the tallest country in the world.

CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston asked people in New York's Times Square, "Who are the tallest people in the world?"

"Switzerland?" said Nicole.

"Switzerland maybe?" said Chrissy.

"African," said Jada Ruffin

"Chinese," answered John.

China received several vote, perhaps because of certain nba basketball players or recent news stories featuring the world's tallest man, who was married last week. He's 7 feet 9 inches.

But the most common answer — Americans — is the wrong answer.

In fact it's the Dutch.

"The Dutch? The Dutch, oh, wow," was the reaction from Carol and Elaine in Times Square.

In the Netherlands, the tallest country in the world, the typical man is now measures 6 feet, a good two inches more than his average American counterpart.

From the days of the founding fathers right on through the industrial revolution and two world wars, Americans literally 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.

By the time the baby boomers reached adulthood in the 1960s, most northern and western European countries had caught up with and surpassed the United States. Young adults in Japan and other prosperous Asian countries now stand nearly as tall as Americans do.

Even residents of the formerly communist East Germany are taller than Americans today.

Compare that to 1850, when the situation was reversed. The people of all the nations of western Europe stood 2½ inches shorter than their American brethren.

Does it really matter? Does being taller give the Dutch any advantage over say, the Chinese (men 5 feet, 4.9 inches; women 5 feet, 0.8 inches) or the Brazilians (men 5 feet, 6.5 inches; women 5 feet, 3 inches)?

Many economists would argue that it does matter, because height is correlated with numerous measures of a population's well-being.

"People who live in rich countries tend to be tall," Ohio State University economist Richard Steckel told CBS News.

Tall people are healthier, wealthier and live longer than short people. Some researchers have even suggested that tall people are more intelligent.

It's not that being tall actually makes you smarter, richer or healthier. It's that the same things that make you tall — a nutritious diet, good prenatal care and a healthy childhood — also benefit you in those other ways.

"Average height is very sensitive to inequality. The poor, to the extent they aren't getting good nutrition, good health care, they will not grow," said Steckel.

That makes height a good indicator for economists who are interested in measuring how well a nation provides for its citizens during their prime growing years. With one simple, easily collected statistic, economists can essentially measure how well a society prepares its children for life.

"This is the part of the society that usually eludes economists, because economists are usually thinking about income. And this is the part of the society that doesn't earn an income," said John Komlos, an economic historian at the University of Munich who was born in Hungary, grew up in Chicago, and has spent the last quarter century compiling data on the heights of nations.

Height tells you about a segment of the population that is invisible to traditional economic statistics. Children don't have jobs or own houses. They don't buy durable goods, or invest in the stock market. But obviously, investments in their well-being are critical to a nation's economic future.

For several years now, Komlos and other researchers have been trying to figure out exactly why the United States fell behind. How could the wealthiest country in the world, during the most robust economic expansion in its history, simply stop growing?

"It's absolutely fascinating," said Eileen Crimmins, a demographer at the University of Southern California. "Maybe we've reached the point where we're going to go backwards in height."

Like many human traits, an individual's height is determined by a mix of genes and environment. Some experts put the contribution of genes at 40 percent, some at 70 percent, some even higher. But they all agree that aside from African pygmies and a few similar exceptions, most populations have about the same genetic potential for height.

[zootallures2]

Not to mention, Mr. grazinggoat, according to NASA they slowed the capsule down so the LM could dock. But seeing the moon has less gravity, how did it hold further out to get enough swing to zoom home? Plus the moon rotates slower than the earth. 27.32 days. With out maintaining the momentum from the earth, they'd never get home. With this crazy science, the earth should go around the moon maybe?

[zootallures2]

"The U.S. Is No Longer A Tall Tale"
Between the controlled demolitions on 9/11 and the fake moon landing, the only thing growning is your noses. Oh, and the death and murder rate. But, you're still number one in prison inmates.
Posted by zootallures2 at 10:20 PM : Jul 16, 2007

-With your 'fake moon landing' you sound like a radiopost negationnist, of the early 20th century. Huh? How old are ya? whatever you answer, I'd tell you grow up... Zoot
Posted by grazinggoat at 10:39 PM : Jul 16, 2007

Who cares what you say? You are someone special? I'd say you've been watching to much Mister Rogers and living in the land of make believe. Amazing the size of the rocket it took to get off the earth and orbit. Yet the LM with it's tiny engine got off the moon and docked with this high speed capsule. With that science, the Shuttle should be able to launch with a catapolt. A good batter should be able to slug a baseball to the next state...lol.

[grazinggoat]

"The U.S. Is No Longer A Tall Tale"
Between the controlled demolitions on 9/11 and the fake moon landing, the only thing growning is your noses. Oh, and the death and murder rate. But, you're still number one in prison inmates.
Posted by zootallures2 at 10:20 PM : Jul 16, 2007

-With your 'fake moon landing' you sound like a radiopost negationnist, of the early 20th century. Huh? How old are ya? whatever you answer, I'd tell you grow up... Zoot

[zootallures2]

"The U.S. Is No Longer A Tall Tale"

Between the controlled demolitions on 9/11 and the fake moon landing, the only thing growning is your noses. Oh, and the death and murder rate. But, you're still number one in prison inmates.

[grazinggoat]

thank you illegals...
Posted by lars008 at 11:49 AM : Jul 16, 2007

-arse008 gotta be pretty tall, since he has nothing in the brain 'box'... except for a dry dead neurotic center allowing him to post filthy thoughts, hence empty vase could not weight down on his body. lol! How tall are ya arsey?

[weareone2]

Also, emotional abuse can cause a child to stop growing.

Looking at how compulsively abusive some of the people who post comments here are, their children are probably shorter than they would otherwise be.

[vancouverboo]

Would it be politically incorrect to mention the little brown people pouring up from the south and breeding, breeding, breeding?


Or the little brown people coming over from India to work on our computers?

[a-ji]

Anybody who calls me shorty will get punched in the kneecap.
Posted by Extremophil at 10:04 AM : Jul 16, 2007


Yeah!! an I'll bite him on the ankle too!!!
Posted by ToolMangler at 05:22 PM : Jul 16, 2007

And a headbat on the groin! Bring it on! grrrrrrr!

[toolmangler-2009]

Anybody who calls me shorty will get punched in the kneecap.
Posted by Extremophil at 10:04 AM : Jul 16, 2007


Yeah!! an I'll bite him on the ankle too!!!

[iceman_1960]

"Hummmmmmmmmm, strange I never heard of their [Dutch] basketball team."
- Posted by thgdriver at 12:31 PM : Jul 16, 2007

Did you ever try playing basketball in wooden shoes ?

[rushman71]

You wanna know why the dutch are the tallest? Because, it's legal to get high in their country!!!! Wake up, America!!!!

[rushman71]

hey oakishpines...Are you ok? ***
Posted by mnelsonix

Forget it. This guy's a nut!!!

[mnelsonix]

hey oakishpines...Are you ok? ***

[my2centss]

The problem is that we have more gravity. It just pulls us down, and outward. In other countries, they do not have as much gravity. How tall are the presidential candidates? I just want to know which are smartest.

[oakishpines]

what did the naked lazy iggnorant profane kid say to the spanking authoritys?]

thats assaulting an officer, you all got a gold star, a congressional medal of honor. di d you kno that more than 99 percent of crimes are committed by those age five and less and that more than 99 percent of psankings go to kids age five and less and that over 99 percent of thaose spoankings are rewarded with gold stars? (mostly imaginary ones of course, saves on resource depletion and pollution and rhetorical disparities)

maybe if more people would spank their naked lazy ignorant profane hungrey tired lonely bored scared lusty sad sleepy officars that the worlt wood be a more pervfect etrernity!

we appreciate ewe!

[noview1]

Our nation is filled with lazy people who don't accept their responsibily to take care of things. If you're overweight, pourly educated, or jobless it is YOUR fault, no one elses. You can't blame the government, or anyone else, because when doing that, you don't take action.

Ever wonder why the chinese work hard? Because in China, if you don't work, you don't get paid, and you don't eat. It's simple. Motivation like that get's you off your a$$.

[incog-nito]

This is easy to explain: All that excess poundage is keeping kids to from growing as tall as they used to. On the plus side, Americans have growing bigger horizontally than any other nation.

[cmp271]

The amoung of money we have recently spent at the box office this last weekend shows how wealthy this nation is. Now if we can spend it there we can spend it on health care for all in America. There is truly a disproportionate distribution of wealth in this country. We are lagging behing in height because we put too much value on other things. We don't take care of ourselves as a whole, together. People are kept in their place the way it was under the monarchy which caused our Rovolution. We have loads of poor people now, who can't afford to eat right and have health care. Yet we spent how much on films this last weekend. We need to get our priorities straight. And what of all the money donated after 9/11 and Katrina, where did it all go to???? If the film idustry has earned all this, how much money do our HMO's make each month? Let's not even go there about education, we are a nation of illiterates. Have a read of the latest reports generated by the newest college student, abominable!!! This country is going no where fast. America isn't healthy anymore, nutritionally, educationally, and otherwise.

[balance2008]

I agree with cfin5. there isn't any need to complain about a human interest story. this story probably doesn't have all the negative psychological effects as a car bomb report

[thgdriver]

Hummmmmmmmmm, strange I never heard of their basketball team.