March 5, 2010 cameron

Napoleon’s hair found in Sydney Town Hall

Hey folks, sorry about the delay between shows. I’m on my way back from a business trip to Nicaragua, David’s busy, etc etc. Something coming up soon.

Meanwhile, here’s a snippet of news for you from Down Under:

A FEW clippings of hair apparently taken from Napoleon Bonaparte on his death bed have been found in Sydney’s town hall.

The hair was found after the vaults of the 130-year-old building were cleaned out, AFP reported today.

The tiny swatch of light-brown hairs was for years stored in the archives of the imposing sandstone building along with a letter but nobody knows when, why or how they were received.

Read more here and thanks to Rob Irwin for the link!

Comments (5)

  1. Jack Price

    Napoleon’s hair was very straight and black. Hair does not change color over long periods of time. It is more likely this is a lock of hair from Josephine, who’s hair was light brown. It is even possible that it is from his mistress Marie Valevska, who also has light brown hair.

    Jack Price

  2. Tony Rees

    M de Bourrienne describes Napoleon’s hair on his deathbed as ‘chesnut’. He then indicates that, as anticipated, his hair was cut for distribution to the ‘family’. However, Dr Shortt was in the room alone for a while after the death. There were around eleven men who were at the deathbed.

  3. VR

    I just discovered your Napoleon podast I december of 2010 after receiving an iPod for my birthday. On a subsequent holiday I became totally engrossed by the topic, of which I knew little but the old, too common myths. You have done a wonderful job of drawing people in, I could not stop listening…and you have sparked my interest in history a subject in school that bored me to tears. Thank you.

  4. JR

    To John Price you’re wrong in your assumption that hair does not change color. My brother’s and my own hair have changed over the years. My brother started off with nearly bleach blonde hair as a child which as now changed to brown . Mine was dark red and is now blonde genes present different aspects of what’s contained within them at different points of development. One of the results of this can also be changes in hair color.

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