Was a Microchip Discovered in Napoleon Bonaparte’s Skull?

A news story online claims that a microchip was discovered in Napoleon Bonaparte’s skull. Is this true or false?

It’s a Hoax.

The source of this article is the Weekly World News, infamous for such stories as aliens visiting the White House and Bat Boy. The supermarket rag is well known for publishing outlandish, poorly-Photoshopped works of fiction.

Let’s take a look at the article being circulated:

PARIS – Scientists examining the remains of Napoleon Bonaparte are “deeply puzzled” by the discovery of a half-inch long microchip embedded in his skull.

They say the mysterious object could be an alien implant – suggesting that the French emperor was once abducted by a UFO!

“The possible ramifications of this discovery are almost too enormous to comprehend,” declared Dr. Andre Dubois, who made the astonishing revelation in a French medical journal.

“Until now, every indication has been that victims of alien abduction are ordinary people who play no role in world events.

“Now we have compelling evidence that extraterrestrials acted in the past to influence human history – and may continue to do so!”

Dr. Dubois made the amazing find while studying Napoleon’s exhumed skeleton on a $140,000 grant from the French government.

“I was hoping to learn whether he suffered from a pituitary disorder that contributed to his small stature,” he explained.

But instead the researcher found something far more extraordinary: “As I examined the interior of the skull, my hand brushed across a tiny protrusion.

“I then looked at the area under a magnifying glass – and was stunned to find that the object was some kind of super-advanced microchip.”

From the extent of bone growth around the chip, the expert believes it was implanted when Bonaparte was young.

“Napoleon vanished from sight for a period of several days in July 1794, when he was 25. He later claimed he’d been held prisoner during the Themidorian coup – but no record of that arrest exists. I believe that is when the abduction took place.”

From that time on, Napoleon’s rise was meteoric. By the next year, he’d been put in charge of the French army in Italy.

Miraculously, he was able to transform starving, rag-tag troops into a top-notch fighting force and to crush the Italians.

In 1804, after a string of startling victories, the pint-size general crowned himself emperor of France – and his empire soon expanded to include what is now Germany and Austria, as well as Switzerland, Italy and Denmark.

“Napoleon used military strategies more than a hundred years ahead of his time,” said Dr. Dubois. “Perhaps the implant somehow enhanced his abilities.”

The implant could also explain Napoleon’s famous habit of holding his hand over his heart, he added.

“It’s possible that the device affected the electrical signals from his brain to his heart.”

By the time of his defeat by the British at Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon had altered the face of Europe.

“What Western history would have been like had the aliens not intervened, we can only guess,” observed Dr. Dubois. “Thus we cannot know whether they acted to help mankind or harm us.”

Confusing Dates and Varying Versions

Confusing those attempting to research the source of this article is the fact that Weekly World News occasionally changes the dates of their articles in order to re-post and recycle them with a more current date. Although Weekly World News appears to have originally posted this article in early 2010, the article is currently dated on their website as May 1, 2012 (as of this writing). Thus, those researching the validity of this “news” story will find websites and comments from 2010 and 2011 which re-posted (without sourcing) the Weekly World News story, not realizing that the actual source is now dated 2012.

A commenter on this website, for example, posted a link to the Weekly World News article in February 2010 – two years before the date currently posted from the source of the hoax.

Another confusing aspect of this story is that there appears to be multiple versions circulating. Some versions appear to claim that the chips was implanted by aliens, while others say that it was simply a microchip. Either way, all versions of this story are preposterous and originated from a website that specializes in the creation of absurdly fake news.

The Image

An image commonly circulated with the story (see right) – and is included with the Weekly World News article – shows a micro chip that is actually intended for use in pets.

Bottom Line

The report that a microchip was found in Napolean’s skull is a hoax created by the Weekly World News.

Source

• Alien Chip in Napoleon’s Skull (Weekly World News)

Updated December 10, 2014
Originally published September 2013