Add to ORKGEver better information on health and living standards will remove height from history’s centre stage. This will be compounded by declining variation in adult heights both within countries and across nations, as populations approach their genetic potential. We suggest two cases where stature will retain its role because other data are poor or unavailable. Children’s heights can capture the effects of changing public policy and social conditions on families even in western countries. As with many current historical studies, the absence of other data may also make adult heights a useful tool in understanding the transition from communism to capitalism.