Top 10 facts about Waterloo

THE Duke of Wellington’s forces defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo 199 years ago on June 18, 1815.

Top 10 Facts About Waterloo

1. The British lost around 15,000 troops dead or wounded; the Prussians lost 7,000; Napoleon lost 25,000 with another 8,000 taken prisoner.

2. Lord Uxbridge lost a leg in the Battle. The amputed limb later had its own grave at Waterloo and became a tourist attraction.

3. An artificial leg worn by Lord Uxbridge is kept at his family’s country seat at Plas Newydd, Wales.

4. In France and Germany the Battle of Waterloo is called La Belle Alliance after the ‘beautiful alliance’ between Britain and Prussia.

5. An American named Steve St Clair has nearly finished a 20-year project to recreate the Battle of Waterloo with 250,000 hand-painted toy soldiers.

6. Waterloo by Abba was named the best song in the Eurovision Song Contest’s history in 2005.

7. There are 23 escalators at Waterloo tube station in London, which is more than any other station.

8. There are six towns or suburbs called Waterloo in the UK, four Waterloo towns in Australia and at least 25 Waterloos in the United States.

9. The first Waterloo Bridge in London was opened on the second anniversary of the Battle.

10. It was replaced in 1945 by the Ladies’ Bridge, built largely by a force of women during the war.

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In Waterloo tube station, there are 23 escalators which is more than any other station
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