The Napoleonic Wars came to an end on June 18, 1815, when a coalition of armies defeated the French Imperial Army. The Battle of Waterloo was fought in what is Belgium today, and around 50,000 men were killed or wounded. Many of those killed were buried quickly in mass graves, but there are strangely few remains today in that field.
That's because looters descended on the battlefield almost immediately after the carnage. British tourists came in droves to pick up whatever they could find, with an eye to making a profit from battle souvenirs. Bullets, buttons, uniforms, and body parts were all scooped up, leading to an entire industry in trading an exhibiting the remains of the battle. Museums popped up nearby, and locals raked in money from those who weren't fast enough to find their own loot. Read about the commercial aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo at JStor Daily. -via Damn Interesting
(Image credit: John Heaviside Clark)
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