In the 18th and 19th centuries, America was home to the tallest people in the world, but today that title now goes to the Netherlands. Dutch men and women average 6 feet and 5 feet 6.5 inches, respectively. U.S. men average 5 feet 9 inches and women average nearly 5 feet 4 inches tall.

Did you know your height, like your weight, can fluctuate during the day? “The discs in your spine get compressed from being upright all day,” says Todd Sinett, DC, a New York City-based chiropractor and author of The Truth About Back Pain. As you sleep, your spine decompresses, and you regain the lost length.

Born 22 February 1918 Robert Wadlow holds the title as the tallest man who ever lived. Born at an unremarkable 8.7 pounds and the son of average-sized parents, the towering American man measured at a staggering 2.72 m (8 ft 11.1 in) tall when last measured on 27 June 1940, becoming the tallest man in the world.

According to one estimate, someone who is 20% taller will build up twice as much kinetic energy during a fall. This is why taller people are much more likely to suffer from injuries across their lifetime; women taller than 5ft 8in are twice as likely to fracture their hip as women who are just 5ft 2in.

Sure you might be in more danger of hitting your head but there are some benefits that come with being tall. A classic study in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that people make $789 more per year for each inch above average height they are. The majority (58%) of Fortune 500 CEOs are over 6 feet tall. And 38 of the last 43 American presidents have been taller than average height (5 feet 10 inches).