Some of the Greatest Men in History Had Dark and Scandalous Secrets

1. A Great Conqueror’s Humiliating Flight

As thousands of bunnies bounded towards them rather than flee for their lives, Napoleon’s party laughed at first. The laughter stopped and concern grew, however, as the onslaught continued. The rabbits swarmed the Emperor’s legs and climbed up his jacket. He tried to shoo them with his riding crop, while those around him tried to chase them away with sticks. There were just too many of them, however, and Napoleon was forced to flee to his carriage. As one account described it: “with a finer understanding of Napoleonic strategy than most of his generals, the rabbit horde divided into two wings and poured around the flanks of the party and headed for the imperial coach“.

Even in his carriage, Napoleon was not safe. Some rabbits jumped in with Le Empereur, who ordered his coachmen to whip the horses into a hasty retreat. In an awkward defeat, Europe’s hegemon had been beaten by bunnies. It turned out that the bizarre debacle had been Berthier’s fault. Rather than capture wild hares, he had bought tame rabbits from nearby farms, that were accustomed to people. When released from their cages, they did not fear Napoleon’s party as potential predators. Instead, they bounded towards them in the expectation that the Emperor of the French and his companions would feed them their dinner.

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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading

Ackroyd, Peter – Dickens (1990)

Atlantic, The, October 11^th, 2011 – Dickens in Love: How the Author’s Romantic Life Affected His Novels

BBC – Fatty Arbuckle and Hollywood’s First Scandal

Burge, James – Heloise & Abelard: A New Biography (2003)

Curious Rambler – Boney Napoleon Scares British Children

Edmunds, Andy – Frame-Up! The Untold Story of Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle (1991)

Express, The, October 9^th, 2015 – Dirty Bertie: How Royal Playboy Took Paris by Storm With a THREE-WAY Love Seat

Guardian, The, January 18^th, 2006 – Bedtime Stories: Was Hans Christian Andersen Really as Pure – and Boring – as Biographers Make Out?

Guardian, The, April 9^th, 2017 – Eric Gill: Can We Separate the Artist From the Abuser?

History Answers – Napoleon’s Battle Against Rabbits