Napoleon Bonaparte

Vanessa Kirby, who plays Joséphine in Ridley Scott's Napoleon, says the empress “was just this massive contradiction.” ­

The Real History Behind Empress Joséphine in Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon'

A new Hollywood epic traces Napoleon Bonaparte's rise and fall through his checkered relationship with his first wife

A still from the upcoming film Napoleon, which dramatizes the ambitious military commander and emperor's rise and fall

The Trailer for Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon' Is Here

The new film stars Joaquin Phoenix and follows the ambitious French ruler's rise to power

Egyptologist Zahi Hawass is leading a push to repatriate the Rosetta Stone, the Dendera Zodiac and the bust of Nefertiti to Egypt.

Who Gets to Tell the Story of Ancient Egypt?

On the eve of the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, some of the country's artifacts, from the Rosetta Stone to the bust of Nefertiti, remain overseas

“The first people to look at the Rosetta Stone thought it would take two weeks to decipher,” says Edward Dolnick, author of The Writing of the Gods: The Race to Decode the Rosetta Stone. “It ended up taking 20 years.”

Two Hundred Years Ago, the Rosetta Stone Unlocked the Secrets of Ancient Egypt

French scholar Jean-François Champollion announced his decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs on September 27, 1822

Archaeologists carefully brush away dirt from the skeleton.

Archaeologists Uncover Rare Human Skeleton at Waterloo

The bones were discovered in a ditch near a former field hospital

Studded with gems and carvings of classical figures, the two tiaras and accompanying jewelry are expected to sell for between $410,000 and $690,000.

Two Tiaras Once Owned by Josephine Bonaparte Are Up for Auction

Napoleon's empress was an early 19th-century style icon. Now, two of her diadems are on sale at Sotheby's

Peter Mark Roget compiled his influential thesaurus late in life.

Before He Wrote a Thesaurus, Roget Had to Escape Napoleon's Dragnet

At the dawn of the 19th century, the young Brit got caught in an international crisis while touring Europe

A new Netflix documentary, "This Is a Robbery," delves into the mystery of a 1990 art heist.

Five Things to Know About the Gardner Museum Heist—the Biggest Art Theft in Modern History

In 1990, two thieves made off with a $500 million cache of art by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas and more. Three decades later, the works remain missing

François Pascal Simon Gérard, Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain, circa 1808

New Jersey Estate Owned by Napoleon's Older Brother Set to Become State Park

In 1815, exiled Spanish king Joseph Bonaparte fled to the U.S., where he lived in luxury on a sprawling, 60-acre estate

An 1843 aquatint by Jean-Pierre-Marie Jazet, after a painting by Carl von Steuben, depicts Napoleon Bonaparte in his final moments.

Rare Doctor's Note Offers Glimpse Into Napoleon's Agonized Final Years

The 1818 missive, which describes the French statesman's failing health, recently sold at auction for $2,000

Trench fever came to prominence during World War I, but new research suggests that the disease afflicted people long before the 20th century.

Before WWI, Trench Fever Plagued the Ancient Romans and Napoleonic Soldiers

Long associated with the Great War, the disease actually dates back at least 2,000 years, a new study suggests

The First Investigation Into the Allied Waterloo Field Hospital Is Unearthing Cannonballs—and Limbs

The dig, conducted by military veterans and service members, suggests just how close Napoleon's forces might have come to victory in the epic battle

Remains of Napoleonic General Believed to Have Been Found in Russian Park

Charles Étienne Gudin, whose name appears on the Arc de Triomphe, was hit by a cannonball during the Battle of Valutino

Merrill Joshua, of St. Helena’s tourism board, dressed in full Napoleonic regalia to depict the island’s most famous resident.

A Journey to St. Helena, Home of Napoleon's Last Days

We crossed the globe to the tiny, remote island to sample the splendid desolation of the emperor's exile under a scornful British governor

"Battle of Mont Saint-Jean or the Battle of Waterloo" by Antoine Charles Horace Vernet (1758 - 1836) and Jacques François Swebach (1769-1823)

Can Napoleon’s Defeat at Waterloo Be Traced to a Volcanic Eruption in Indonesia?

A new study posits that an 1815 eruption caused inclement weather that, according to some theories, led to Napoleon's defeat

What if Napoleon hadn't stopped at invading Russia and instead created a world under French control?

What if Napoleon Hadn't Lost Europe and Other Questions of Alternate History

How the 200-year-old literary genre reflects changing notions of history and society

Madame Tussauds Berlin--one of the many Tussauds wax museums that bears Marie Tussaud's name--has a wax sculpture of Marie Tussaud herself. Here, she's portrayed sculpting the head of Ben Franklin (which is a thing she actually did).

How Marie Tussaud Created a Wax Empire

From France, to Britain, to the world, Tussaud's waxworks endure

New Portrait of Lord Nelson Found, Scars and All

One of many Nelson portraits by Leonardo Guzzardi, the painting has been restored to include his war wounds

This Is Why France Invaded Mexico

Mexico refused to pay back the sizable debt it owed to countries like France. It was a decision that would prompt France to launch a full-scale invasion

The first can opener was a blade that sawed around the can's edge, leaving a jagged rim.

Why the Can Opener Wasn't Invented Until Almost 50 Years After the Can

The first 'can opener' was a hammer and chisel

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