Are you all right, my Lad?

When Napoleon was bombing Vienna in 1805, his shells rained down across the city, striking buildings at random. One cannonball crashed into a schoolroom, shattering walls and windows. Inside, an eight-year-old boy named Franz was at the piano, practicing when the explosion hit. Frozen in fear, he dropped to the floor, hiding his face in his arms.

As he lay there, trembling, a calm…