The unlikely tale of pirates, a mayor, a French emperor … and a jazz legend

Every so often, history offers a story where amazing characters interact with one another so unbelievably, you know it has to be true. This is one of them.

Napoleon Bonaparte was in a serious funk in early 1821. For five long years, the man who once ruled Europe from the Spanish plains to the steppes of Russia had been a captive of the British. They kept him permanently exiled on St. Helena, a volcanic hunk of rock in the South Atlantic some 2,500 miles from Argentina. It was as close to the End of the Earth as you could get. Just to be on the safe side, British warships were anchored nearby.

Napoleon wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Until Nicolas Girod decided to step in. Continue reading →