U.S. No Longer Tallest Country in the World 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 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. However, 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. In Holland, the tallest country in the world, the typical man now measures 6 feet, a good two inches more than his average American counterpart. Compare that to 1850, when the situation was reversed. Not just the Dutch, but all the nations of western Europe, stood 2 1//2 inches (6.25 em) 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. 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. 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. This is the part of the society that doesn't earn an income. 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. Obviously, investments in their well being are critical to a nation's economic future. For several years now, 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? Maybe we've reached the point where we're going to go backwards in height. Like many human waits, an individual's height is determined by a mix of genes and environment. Some experts put the contribution of genes at 40%, some at 70%, some even higher. However, they all agree that aside from African pygmies and a few similar exceptions, most populations have about the same genetic potential for height. That leaves environment to determine the differences in height between populations around the world, specifically the environment children experience from the moment of conception through adolescence. Any deficiency along the way, from poor prenatal care to early childhood disease or malnutrition, can prevent a person from reaching his or her full genetic height potential. We know environment can affect heights by three to five inches (7.5 to 12.5 cm). The earliest stages of life are the most important to the human growth machine at age 2 there is