When you think of the previously mentioned terms: “army of giants”, “superior race”, etc., you automatically think of Germany and the pseudo-scientific speculations that were wildly popular in the first half of the 20th century. You can also think of World War II or, even after it, the conspiracy scenarios built around Cold War rivals.

Well, that’s far from it. An army of giants did exist, and the first attempt at eugenics, that is, improving the human population, did not occur in the 20th century, but, as you will see, at the dawn of the 18th century. True, and in northern Europe.

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