Sir William Congreve developed a rocket with a range of about 9,000 feet. The incendiary rocket used black powder, an iron case, and a 16-foot guide stick. In 1806, British used Congreve rockets to attack Napoleon's headquarters in France. In 1807, Congreve directed a rocket attack against Copenhagen.

STS084-714-007 (15-24 May 1997) --- This 70mm image of the island of Corsica was photographed from the Space Shuttle Atlantis during the STS-84 mission. Birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, Corsica is the fourth largest island (after Sicily, Sardinia, and Cyprus) in the Mediterranean. Two-thirds of the island is mountainous with the majority of the population (1990-249, 737) living on the east coast (the "handle on the island points north). French is the official language.

As one of the best ever views of the city of New Orleans, LA (30.0N, 90.0W) from space, this image allows the study of the city and the region in minute detail. Major city street and highway patterns can easily be traced. Even the Superdome near the old French Quarter can be seen as a large round white circle near the middle of the photo. The French Napoleonic Code land distribution system of long narrow fields fronting the river is also evident.

SL2-05-397 (22 June 1973) --- New Orleans, Louisiana, Mississippi River, and Lake Pontchartrain (31.0N, 91.0W) can all be seen in this single detailed view. The marshlands of the Atchafalaya Basin, previously the main drainage way for the Mississippi River, can be seen to be partially silted as a result of sediments. The long narrow field patterns fronting on the river is called the "Long Lot" system of equal land distribution based on the French Napoleonic Civil Code. Photo credit: NASA

NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility, located in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana, is an 832 acre site that is a government-owned, contractor-operated component of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The facility was acquired by NASA in 1961 at the recommendation of Dr. Wernher von Braun and his rocket team in Huntsville Alabama. The cavernous plant served as the assembly facility for the Saturn launch vehicles and most recently the external tank (ET) used for the Space Shuttle Program. The facility features one of the world's biggest manufacturing plants with 43 acres under one roof and a port with deep-water access for the transportation of large space structures. When completed, space hardware is towed on a barge across the Gulf of Mexico, around Florida and up to Kennedy Space Center. The original tract of land was part of a 34,500 acre French Royal land grant to local merchant, Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent in 1763. Later, the land was acquired by French transplant Antoine Michoud, the son of Napoleon's Administrator of Domains, who moved to the city in 1827. Michoud operated a sugar cane plantation and refinery on the site until his death in 1863. His heirs continued operating the refinery and kept the original St. Maxent estate intact into the 20th century. Two brick smokestacks from the original refinery still stand before the Michoud facility today.

NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility, located in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana, is an 832 acre site that is a government-owned, contractor-operated component of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The facility was acquired by NASA in 1961 at the recommendation of Dr. Wernher von Braun and his rocket team in Huntsville Alabama. The cavernous plant served as the assembly facility for the Saturn launch vehicles and most recently the external tank (ET) used for the Space Shuttle Program. The facility features one of the world's biggest manufacturing plants with 43 acres under one roof and a port with deep-water access for the transportation of large space structures. When completed, space hardware is towed on a barge across the Gulf of Mexico, around Florida and up to Kennedy Space Center. The original tract of land was part of a 34,500 acre French Royal land grant to local merchant, Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent in 1763. Later, the land was acquired by French transplant Antoine Michoud, the son of Napoleon's Administrator of Domains, who moved to the city in 1827. Michoud operated a sugar cane plantation and refinery on the site until his death in 1863. His heirs continued operating the refinery and kept the original St. Maxent estate intact into the 20th century. Two brick smokestacks from the original refinery still stand before the Michoud facility today.

NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility, located in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana, is an 832 acre site that is a government-owned, contractor-operated component of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The facility was acquired by NASA in 1961 at the recommendation of Dr. Wernher von Braun and his rocket team in Huntsville Alabama. The cavernous plant served as the assembly facility for the Saturn launch vehicles and most recently the external tank (ET) used for the Space Shuttle Program. The facility features one of the world's biggest manufacturing plants with 43 acres under one roof and a port with deep-water access for the transportation of large space structures. When completed, space hardware is towed on a barge across the Gulf of Mexico, around Florida and up to Kennedy Space Center. The original tract of land was part of a 34,500 acre French Royal land grant to local merchant, Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent in 1763. Later, the land was acquired by French transplant Antoine Michoud, the son of Napoleon's Administrator of Domains, who moved to the city in 1827. Michoud operated a sugar cane plantation and refinery on the site until his death in 1863. His heirs continued operating the refinery and kept the original St. Maxent estate intact into the 20th century. Visible on the right, is one of two brick smokestacks from the original refinery that still stand before the Michoud facility today.

ISS014-E-17346 (15 March 2007) --- Venice, Italy is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 14 crewmember on the International Space Station. A space-based perspective of the City of Venice provides a quick assessment of the different development and land uses in the region; the major islands in the lagoon surrounding Venice--Laguna Veneta--appear different from one another. The island of Venice itself, a dense urban landscape, appears almost uniformly covered with red tiled roofs. By contrast, port facilities, and the train station at the west end of the island, appear in shades of gray. The islands of Giudecca and Murano (famous for glassware) are almost as densely built up, but the whole walled island of San Michele, used as a cemetery since Napoleon's occupation, is covered with trees and tombs. Lido di Venezia, which separates the lagoon from the Adriatic Sea, has wide, vegetated spaces. The green spaces of nearby islands east of Venice are often used by picnickers getting away from Venice. Though Venice has a declining population of fewer than 70,000, a mass of 12 million visitors invade the city every year. Many arrive from the mainland via the bridge at the train station. Many arrive by boat, whose wakes can be seen as white flashes in many parts of the image. A prominent visual feature of the Venice metropolitan area is the S-bend of the Grand Canal. The famous Rialto Bridge is big enough to appear as a white break in the canal in this view. St. Mark's church and square, and the Doge's Palace are also visible at the east end of the canal.

NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility, located in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana, is an 832 acre site that is a government-owned, contractor-operated component of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The facility was acquired by NASA in 1961 at the recommendation of Dr. Wernher von Braun and his rocket team in Huntsville Alabama. The cavernous plant served as the assembly facility for the Saturn launch vehicles and most recently the external tank (ET) used for the Space Shuttle Program. The facility features one of the world's biggest manufacturing plants with 43 acres under one roof and a port with deep-water access for the transportation of large space structures. When completed, space hardware is towed on a barge across the Gulf of Mexico, around Florida and up to Kennedy Space Center. The original tract of land was part of a 34,500 acre French Royal land grant to local merchant, Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent in 1763. Later, the land was acquired by French transplant Antoine Michoud, the son of Napoleon's Administrator of Domains, who moved to the city in 1827. Michoud operated a sugar cane plantation and refinery on the site until his death in 1863. His heirs continued operating the refinery and kept the original St. Maxent estate intact into the 20th century. Two brick smokestacks from the original refinery still stand before the Michoud facility today as seen in the lower half of this photograph taken in the 1960's, while the upper half reflects the area during the time of the sugar cane plantation workers.

ISS019-E-014918 (7 May 2009) --- Saint Helena Island is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 19 crewmember on the International Space Station. This isolated island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean approximately 1860 kilometers to the west of the African coastline, is perhaps best known as the final resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte I of France. Bonaparte was exiled to the island following his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815; he died on the island six years later in 1821. Today, the island is a British Overseas Territory, with access provided thirty times a year by a single ship, the RMS St. Helena. The rugged topography evident in this photograph is the result of erosion of the volcanic rocks that make up the island into sharp peaks and deep ravines. A climatic gradient related to elevation is also evident ? the higher, wetter central portion of the island is covered with green vegetation, whereas the lower coastal areas are drier and hotter with little vegetation cover. Human presence on the island has also caused dramatic changes to the original flora and fauna of the island. Only approximately 10 percent of the forest cover observed by the first explorers now remains in a semi-natural state, and that is concentrated in the interior highlands. Saint Helena Island was also visited by Charles Darwin during his scientific voyages in the 19th century. He visited the island in 1836 aboard HMS Beagle, recording observations of the flora, fauna, and geology that would inform his theory of evolution. This image was acquired by crew members onboard the International Space Station as part of an ongoing project (the HMS Beagle Project) to document current biodiversity in areas visited by Charles Darwin.