They are buildings, cities and natural wonders. They house the heights of cultural achievement and offer backdrops for our best ideas. Asked to name the most influential place in history, previous and present TIME 100 honorees reflect on locations that have seen and in some cases helped bring about some of the most transformative moments in human experience.
Waterloo, Walloon Brabant, Belgium
At the Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815, an Anglo-Prussian army defeated Napoleon, ending the Napoleonic wars. The Emperor was exiled to St. Helena, and after the Treaty of Paris was signed, a nearly 100-year period of relative peace — Britain's imperial century — ensued.
