In 1805, Napoléon Bonaparte promised “triumphal arches” to his troops after they won the Battle of Austerlitz. The first arch that he commissioned was the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile (the Triumphal Arch of the Star) in Paris, commonly known as the Arc de Triomphe, and construction began on Aug. 15, 1806, Bonaparte’s birthday.  As a great…