What you learned in school
History textbooks consistently described Napoleon as an unusually short man, often depicting him as barely five feet tall. Students learned that his diminutive stature fueled his aggressive ambitions and military conquests. The term "Napoleon complex" became standard psychology vocabulary to describe short people's compensatory behavior.
What we know now
History classes taught that Napoleon Bonaparte was exceptionally short, using phrases like "Napoleon complex" to describe aggressive behavior in short people. Students learned that his height contributed to his aggressive military campaigns. Napoleon was actually 5'7" (1.7m], which was average or even slightly above average for men of his era. The confusion arose from differences between French and English measurement systems, and British propaganda that depicted him as short to diminish his stature. His autopsy listed him as 5'2", but this was in French feet, which were larger than English feet.