Short stature has always been looked upon as a negative trait in humans, which is kind of surprising considering that an individual's height has nothing to do with his ability. Our history has quite a few examples of people who were short in height, but became famous because of their sheer talent, achievements, and illustriousness. While none of these people were as short as Gul Mohammed, they can be definitely referred to as short if the average height for the world is taken into consideration. Exactly How Short is Short? There is an outright disagreement as to what height can be referred to as 'short'. The average human height varies in accordance to the region as well as ethnicity. The term 'short stature' is a vague term with no concrete definition to support it. A pygmy from the Congo Basin may come across as a short person for the whole world. Similarly, a person who is 5 ft. 5 inches is also likely to come across as a short-statured person for someone who is 6 ft. in height. With no concrete definition, the term 'short stature' is more often used to refer to a person whose height is below expected. Famous Short People in the World The average height for men in the United States is 5 ft. 9.2 inches and therefore, while compiling this list of famous short-statured people, we decided to take the height of 5 ft. 5 inches as the benchmark; that's considerably short when equated for the whole world. Height: 5 ft. 2 inches Who: A Palestinian statesman Claim to Fame: One man's freedom fighter, they say, is another man's terrorist. That, perhaps, is the best possible way you can put the legacy of Yasser Arafat. A Palestinian leader and the chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Arafat was a freedom fighter for the Palestinians and a terrorist for the Israelis. A true international leader, he devoted his entire life for the Palestinian national aspirations. Height: 5 ft. 4 inches Who: Spanish painter and sculptor Claim to Fame: Known to work wonders with his paint brush, Picasso has some of the best works of the 20th century to his credit. He also came up with some of the finest sculptures of this period. Picasso was the co-founder of the Cubism artistic movement which began in France in 1907. It would rather be surprising if a person of Picasso's stature, with such exceptional aesthetic skills, doesn't find a place among the most famous people in the world. Height: 5 ft. 4 inches Who: The 4th President of the United States Claim to Fame: James Madison--the shortest of the U.S. presidents--held the office from March 4, 1809 to March 4, 1817. One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, he is widely regarded as the Father of the Constitution for his role in the drafting of the US Constitution. Madison played an important role in several events of the American history, prominent ones being the Louisiana Purchase, which he himself supervised, and the War of 1812 against Great Britain. *In random order These were some short-statured individuals who carved a niche for themselves and made sure that their presence was felt in the big bad world out there. These individuals proved that a person's deed matter more than who he is, and to do that something for which the world will remember you, you need determination and will power, not height.