2 years ago, I witnessed the re-enactment of the battle of Waterloo. Thousands of talented volunteers from around the world walked through the footsteps of Napoleon, Wellington, Blücher, and their allies and armies.
Although we didn’t have the best seats on the field, it was wonderful that so many dedicated re-enactors, or living historians, brought history to life for us. If you missed it, you should have been there.
I gathered some great photos from the event, and if there are enough requests I may upload them here. Perhaps in another 100 years, you’ll be able to witness it again for yourself.
You may have missed the spectacle, but there are other fantastic teachers out there. There’s a free course at futurelearn, more from Wellington’s point of view, called “Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo.” It was so popular two years ago that it is being offered again (and starts today.)
The real Waterloo was the end of Napoleon Bonaparte’s last campaign, a swift 100 days when he returned from exile in a bid to reconquer what had been lost, and perhaps more.
Since then, it seems like 100 days is the litmus test. The media measures what a new President does in the first hundred days in office.
However, just as Napoleon’s 100-day campaign ended in failure, rushing things too much may not lead to success. The Louisiana Purchase, the Emancipation Proclamation, and almost every other event with a lasting impact took well more than 100 days to achieve. And even if something can be achieved quickly, it still needs to pass the test of time before it can be considered a success.
This also applies to the entertainment business. We might know that it took years to edit Star Wars or Apocalypse Now and that many of your favorite films took ten years in development. Sure, you can point out a film that was written on the back of a napkin, but that probably wasn’t very enjoyable to watch.
In 2012, more like 1000 than 100 days ago, we announced the plans for Napoleonland here at Ptara, and asked the question, “What rides should they have at Napoleonland?” Well, according to “Le Parisien”, the rides won’t be ready until 2023, over ten years after we first heard about the theme park.
Despite a long time in creating the park, it seems that financiers are still interested. Perhaps Napoleon’s 100 days did have a lasting impact after all.