History Fun Facts September 23rd

HISTORY FUN FACTS - SEPTEMBER 23rd

 

This Day In History in 1759, King Ferdinand VI of Spain was born.

 

King Ferdinand VI was the fourth son of Philip V and his first wife, Maria Luisa of Savoy as a result of a spillage on a drunken night celebrating the successful mating of their pet female hedgehog and the next door neighbour's Yorkshire terrier.

 

For some reason, the dog didn't walk right after that encounter.

 

King Ferdinand died on August 10th, 1759, thirteen years after he became King of Spain, and almost a year to the day, give or take a few weeks, that his wife, Barbara, died.

 

He was endlessly devoted to his precious Barbara and took her death hard. It broke his heart. After her death, up until his own death, which is when he died, King Ferdinand didn't do anything at all.

 

He took no interest in the kingdom or his royal duties and, much to the embarrassment and horror of his servants, wandered around the palace and the local park unshaven and undressed.

 

On This Day in History in 1913, Roland Garros became the first person to fly in a plane across the Mediterranean sea.

 

One can only assume he was the pilot. Or there would have been another person who could claim that accolade. And then it wouldn't have been so impressive.

 

It was a big thing back in the day, to fly non-stop across the Mediterranean, and Roland Garros became world famous as a result. His achievement was even greater than you realise, as he was playing tennis at the time.

 

Roland Garros might have been a famous French aviator, but he was also a fan of tennis and played every day.

 

The French Open tennis championships, one of the four Grand Slams, are played at the Roland Garros stadium, named after the famous French pilot.