Tag Archives: france

February 23, 1574

On February 23, 1574, France began the 5th holy war against the Huguenots. Why? Because the first four just weren’t holy enough and didn’t carry the sparkle that God demanded when the Catholics and Protestants went to killing each other. He said that if he wanted to see a down and dirty knuckle-buster, he’d just … Continue reading

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February 16, 1899

On February 16, 1899, at the French presidential Elysee Palace, President Felix Faure died doing what he loved most. His mistress 29-year-old Marguerite Steinheil. He had called her over to the palace for a little afternoon delight when he had a fatal… Continue reading

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November 26, 1965

On November 26, 1965, France became the third country to enter space when it launched its first satellite, the Diamant-A. Who else knew the French were also belated involved with the Space Race? I mean besides some sad French… Continue reading

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November 24, 1615

On November 24, 1615, French King Louis XIII married Ann of Austria. They were both fourteen years old. Many non-historians have pointed to the relatively young age of some of the royal weddings to insisted that everyone was… Continue reading

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November 7, 1800

On November 7, 1800, it became illegal for women in Paris to wear trousers without a Police permit. It was still illegal for them to go naked in public. In 2013, the ‘trouser ban’ was annulled after 213 years, but it was still… Continue reading

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October 21, 1858

On October 21, 1858, the Can-Can, a fast, highly suggestive dance with lots of leg kicks was performed for the first time in Paris, France. On a side note, on this same day in 1984, the Can’t-Can’t was performed for the… Continue reading

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October 2, 1851

On October 2, 1851, French occultist Jacques-Toussaint Benoit built and tested a pasilalinic-sympathetic compass. Benoit claimed that when snails mated, they formed a permanent telepathic link and that link based upon animal… Continue reading

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September 12, 1940

On September 12, 1940, Marcel Ravidat, an 18-year-old apprentice garage mechanic took his dog, Robot, for a walk in the hills near his home in Montignac. Montignac is in the Dordogne region of southwestern France. While in the… Continue reading

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September 9, 1913

On September 9, 1913, Russian pilot Pyotr Nesterov did something no other pilot had ever done before. He flew his Nieuport IV monoplane into a loop. Why? Because he was Russian and said he could. There may have been vodka… Continue reading

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August 19, 1900

On August 19, 1900, the only cricket match of the Summer Olympics began. I say began, because it took two days to complete. There were only two teams competing, England and France, as no other countries had athletes dull enough to… Continue reading

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