The French are famous for eating snails when they’re hungry, but I believe that you’ll eat anything when you’re hungry enough. What do you think this is? (hint: look at the numbers)
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It’s an official map of Paris. The areas numbered from 1 to 20 are the arrondissements of Paris. Each arrondissement has a hall and a mayor.
Then what is this map?
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It’s an official map of Paris before 1860. There were only 12 arrondissements.
What happened?
Paris took in the nearby towns in 1860, became bigger, and renumbered its arrondissements. Before 1860, there was no 13th arrondissement.
What’s the unluckiest number? (hint: since the middle ages)
13. That’s why, when in 1860 there was talk of them being renumbered to the 13th arrondissement, the wealthy areas rebelled and demanded to be numbered the 16th (they won).
What did it mean to say “they’re married in the 13th” before 1860?
It meant they were living together without being married. There was no 13th before 1860. In France, you get married by the mayor, or the deputy mayor, of the town where you live, in the town hall, or the arrondissement hall if you live in a town that’s big enough to have arrondissements (Paris, Lyon or Marseilles).
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