Subject: How much shorter were people in the past than they are now?

I am especially interested in the average heights of humans in 
recent history (ie. the past three or four centuries)compared 
with today's averages (looking for a quantitative response, if 
possible).  I have found statistics for today's average heights, 
but historical figures elude me.  I am studying (informally) the 
relationship between the height of a population and architecture, 
furniture, etc.  Any thoughts on this would be greatly 
appreciated.  Thank you.

Re: How much shorter were people in the past than they are now?