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Despite the almost complete lack of evidence for the existence of William Tell, many firmly believe him to be a real historical figure. In Switzerland, he became the national hero in the 19th century. It seems that the Swiss people needed a hero when its country was occupied by the armies of Napoleon. He became an embodiment of the nation and its aspirations and showed the people that they could be free. To put it simply the myth was so popular and useful that people wanted it to be true. Moreover, popular artworks, based on the hero persuaded many people in Switzerland and beyond that Tell was a real person. Moreover, successive Swiss governments, despite investigations showing that there was no real evidence for the heroes’ existence, continued to pursue policies that treated him as a real-life figure. They erected statues to the man who had purportedly shot an apple off his son’s headand portray him as one of the nation's liberators. The Swiss authorities have also used William Tell as a national figure around which people would rally round in times of stress and danger. When Switzerland was threatened in World War One and Two, or during the Cold War, the inspiring story of the bowman was used to boost morale and to promote national unity<ref>Ritzer, Nadine. "The Cold War in Swiss Classrooms: History Education as a “Powerful Weapon against Communism “?." Journal of Educational Media, Memory, and Society 4, no. 1 (2012): 78-94</ref>.