WEIRD FACTS ABOUT
BELGIUM
In some parts of Belgium, cabbage is eaten on Shrove Tuesday in the belief that this will save other cabbages from being eaten by caterpillars and flies. In 2001, Belgium was the only country in the world whose government had more female ministers than male.
There was no Christmas Day in Flanders in 1582: in that year they made their change from the Julian to Gregorian calendar and omitted the last 10 days of the year from 22 to 31 December.
The Belgian hare is not a hare but a rabbit.
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ALBERT I
King Albert I was killed in a climbing accident near Dinant in Belgium. His last... MORE
BRUSSELS
Following complaints from Flemish-speaking Belgians, the operators of the Brussels metro stopped playing French songs... MORE
CARNIVAL
The word 'carnival' originally meant either 'a farewell to meat' or 'putting meat away' referring... MORE
CHIPS
One of the earliest references to 'chips' is in Charles Dickens's A Tale Of Two... MORE
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
(Formerly known as the Belgian Congo, 1908-60.)
The Belgian Congo covered an area 80 times as... MORE
EURO
The launch of the Euro in 2002 provoked varied reactions in different countries:
In Poland, two... MORE
FINLAND
Ronkainen, a legendary Finnish robber of the 18th century, tested gang members by making them... MORE
FROG
The town of Vittel in France is headquarters to the Brotherhood of Frog Thigh Tasters... MORE
HIPPOPOTAMUS
Britain's first hippopotamus arrived at London Zoo in Regents Park on 25 May 1850. Named... MORE
LEGS
There is a memorial at Waterloo in Belgium to the leg of Lord Uxbridge, blown... MORE
LUNG
A school in Belgium in 2007 announced that it was allowing pupils aged over 16... MORE
METEOROLOGY
An extremely rare event in the history of weather forecasting took place on 10 July... MORE
MUSEUM
In 1990, the Belgian artist Jan Bucquoy opened an Underwear Museum, the Musee du Slip,... MORE
SPA
The word 'spa' for a health resort with hot or cold springs, comes from the... MORE
STRAWBERRY
Grown on every continent except Antarctica, the strawberry is technically a 'false fruit'. Strictly speaking,... MORE
St SWITHUN
'St Swithin's Day, if thou dost rain, For forty days it will remain; St Swithin's... MORE
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