Waterloo

11 Stories

Fans Celebrate Moment ABBA Turned 'Waterloo' Into Victory

Swedish group's breakthrough came at 1974 Eurovision contest

(Newser) - It's 50 years since ABBA won a major battle with "Waterloo." A half-century ago on Saturday, the Swedish quartet triumphed at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with the peppy love song, which opens: "My my, at Waterloo, Napoleon did surrender, and I have met my destiny...

'It's the Holy Grail' of Napoleonic Souvenirs

Only 4 or 5 signature bicorne hats remain in collectors' hands

(Newser) - One of the signature broad, black bicorne hats that Napoleon Bonaparte wore when he ruled 19th-century France and waged war in Europe is expected to fetch upward of $650,000 at auction on Sunday. The faded black felt hat is the star piece of the auction, valued at between $650,...

At Famous Battle Site, an 'Incredibly Rare' Find

Complete skeleton of likely soldier found alongside horse bones near site of Waterloo

(Newser) - Finding human remains at the site of a famous battle isn't usually very surprising. But it is in the case of the Battle of Waterloo, which ended Napoleon's rule as emperor of France. Though up to 20,000 men died in the battle in modern-day Belgium on June...

Cannonball Alters History of Waterloo

It suggests French army reached British field hospital before defeat

(Newser) - Rare human remains—specifically, amputated leg bones—have been discovered at the site of the 200-year-old battle that marked Napoleon's final defeat. Archaeologists were combing the site of farm buildings that were used as a British field hospital during the Battle of Waterloo in what is now Belgium when...

Was Napoleon Taken Down by a Volcano? Perhaps
Did a Volcano Play a Role in
Napoleon's Downfall? Maybe
in case you missed it
Aug 25, 2018 8:53 AM CDT

Did a Volcano Play a Role in Napoleon's Downfall? Maybe

New study suggests eruption played a role in poor weather conditions during battle

(Newser) - Here's an unexpected theory: that Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in June 1815 was partly caused by the eruption of an volcano in Indonesia. It's a suggestion tacked onto the end of a study by Dr. Matthew Genge of the Imperial College London published Wednesday in Geology . Titled...

An Item Left on the Waterloo Battlefield Just Sold for $400K

That's more than Napoleon's bicorne hat was expected to fetch

(Newser) - Napoleon's hats were a big deal. The BBC explains he had a system for breaking in and wearing the "bicorne" military hats that he famously wore sideways so as to be better spotted by his troops: He introduced four new ones each year that were first worn by...

Napoleon's Waterloo Didn't Come at Waterloo

Braine-l’Alleud would finally like some credit

(Newser) - History buffs—and tourists with money to spend—will be swarming on Waterloo, Belgium, next week to mark the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's famous last battle. The nearby town of Braine-l’Alleud isn't too thrilled about it, however. As the Wall Street Journal reports, the Battle of Waterloo...

Waterloo's 'Mystery Soldier' Was German Hunchback

Friedrich Brandt fought for the Brits against Napoleon: historian

(Newser) - The first complete skeleton retrieved from the Battle of Waterloo has been identified as a German who wouldn't be allowed in any modern army, the Sunday Times reports via the Independent . The soldier was apparently Friedrich Brandt, 23, who fought 200 years ago in the King’s German Legion...

Want to Play Napoleon? So Do These Guys—Bad

Two actors vie for coveted role in Waterloo reenactment

(Newser) - France no longer has an emperor, but tell that to Frank Samson and Mark Schneider. The Frenchman and American, respectively, are vying for the role of Napoleon in a massive 200th-anniversary reenactment of the battle of Waterloo—and neither will take defeat lying down, the Wall Street Journal reports. "...

Would You Support a Gay Baseball Commissioner?

Poll asks Americans revealing questions

(Newser) - Would you be OK with a gay baseball commissioner? How about a quarterback? Those are just a couple of the random-yet-revealing questions asked in the new 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll. In that question, for example, 62% said they’d be OK with the quarterback, and 61% with the baseball commissioner,...

Waterloo—You Know, Like in the ABBA Song

Italian exec with loose grasp of history becomes YouTube hit

(Newser) - An telecom exec came up short in a motivational speech to employees when he called the battle of Waterloo a victory for Napoleon. Now clips of the animated Italian manager urging his staff to "go ahead and score like Napoleon at Waterloo" have become a YouTube hit, the ANSA...

11 Stories