We’re continuing our theme week on Weird History! Today we’re talking about a major historic figure – Napoleon Bonaparte! When you think of Napoleon, you probably think of him as being short, but that’s not true! The rumor about his shortness started in Napoleon’s lifetime. It had a lot to do with British political cartoonists of the time, who repeatedly depicted Napoleon as short to mock him and his expansionist ideas. He was so mad about these cartoons that he even tried (unsuccessfully) to convince the British government to suppress them for him.
In reality, Napoleon was around 5’7, which was average height for the time. There has been confusion because of the different values for the French inch and Imperial inch. Napoleon also surrounded himself with the soldiers of his elite guard, who were all required to be over 6′ tall, which made him look smaller in comparison.
Napoleon rose to prominence during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars from 1796 to 1815. He crowned himself Emperor of the French in 1804. He’s considered one of the greatest military commanders of all time, and his tactics are still studied at military schools worldwide today.
He’s best remembered for his political and military strength, but he also considered himself a scientist. He was even elected to the leading French scientific society, the National Institute, in 1797. When Napoleon invaded Egypt to cut off Britain’s trade route, along with his troops he brought 150 scientists, engineers, and scholars. It was during this campaign that his army discovered the Rosetta Stone. Immediately recognizing its cultural importance, they shipped it to Cairo, where it eventually helped scholars decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
After a disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812, Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba. He briefly returned to power in 1815 but was eventually exiled again, this time to the remote island of Saint Helena. He died there on May 5, 1821 at the age of 51, likely from stomach cancer.
Napoleon significantly helped the U.S. when he agreed to sell the Louisiana Territory for $15 million during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. It opened the area west of the Mississippi and almost doubled the size of the country. The 5th mayor of New Orleans, Nicholas Girod, was an avid supporter of Napoleon. So much so that he had a plan to rescue Napoleon from exile in Saint Helena and bring him back to New Orleans to live. Girod started renovating a home there for Napoleon in 1821. A ship was built for the rescue mission and set sail, but the plan was stopped by news of Napoleon’s death. The building in New Orleans is still known as Napoleon House, and operates as a restaurant today.
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