Napoleon III Escaped Carrying Plank

Future French emperor Napoleon III, then known as Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, escaped from the fortress of Ham on May 25, 1846, while serving a life sentence for a failed attempt to seize power. Renovations allowed him to disguise himself as a laborer and walk through the main gates carrying a large plank over his shoulder to conceal his face. He fled to London, returned after the French Revolution of 1848, and won the presidency with 74% of the vote. Following an 1851 coup and a referendum, he became Emperor of the French in 1852, just over six years after his escape.

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