Napoleon: 15 Things You Didn’t Know (Part 1)

Napoleon was born in Corsica in 1769. Many people know his name and some basic facts about him, but there’s a lot about this historical figure that people are not aware of. This is part one of the list. Make sure you return for the second part later on.

Number Fifteen: He Was Nicknamed ‘Nabulio’

He was not always known by the famous name he earned for himself later in life. His parents and close friends liked to call him by “Nabulio” though it’s not very clear why this is true.

Number Fourteen: Napoleon Had Terrible Social Skills

In school he was an above average math student, but had trouble making friends, and being social did not come easy to him. And this fact isn’t surprising to learn, but he was also very domineering as a youngster.

Number Thirteen: It Wasn’t His Idea to Join the Military

It was, in fact, his teachers at school that gave him this idea. Perhaps he wouldn’t have gone on to be the famous figure we now know him as if it weren’t for these suggestions.

Number Twelve: He Had a Fear of Cats

It seems a rather silly phobia for someone like him, but it’s true. Napoleon had “Ailurophobia”, which means an intense fear of felines.

Number Eleven: He Was Not Actually That Short

It’s unclear how he became rumored to have been a really short guy. Perhaps his enemies were attempting to discredit him, but he was actually quite average height for the time period he existed in.

Number Ten: Napoleon Liked to be Among the Tall

This could have contributed to the rumors of him being so short. He enjoyed having extremely tall soldiers from the Elite Guard around him.

Number Nine: It’s Illegal to Name a Pig ‘Napoleon’ in France

Don’t name your pet pig after him, it’s frowned upon by the law. For this reason, in George Orwell’s famous book Animal Farm, the pig’s name is named Cesar instead of Napoleon. We hope you enjoyed the first half of this list and hope you’ll check back for part two, coming soon.