Today in History: Birth of Lord Castlereagh (June 18, 1769 - August 12, 1822)
Lord Castlereagh was the War Secretary and Foreign Secretary of England during the Napoleonic Wars and represented England in the Congress of Vienna. He developed the idea of the Concert of Europe and presided over it as one of its leaders until his untimely death in 1822. In his native home in Northern Ireland, he is remembered for the success of the Act of Union in 1801.
Coincidentally, his birthday is on the same day the War of 1812 is declared on Great Britain. What a nice birthday gift the Americans gave to the Foreign Secretary of England in 1812.