Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about
Facts About Belgium Which You Won’t Believe
The following section will show you unbelievable facts about Belgium you might have never heard of. Dig in slowly and share them with your friends afterward, will you?
We owe “spa” to the Belgians. Spa might be a tiny town in Belgium. But that’s where the word spa comes from. Back in ancient times, Romans used to visit the settlement to bathe in the famous cold springs. They did that for health and healing purposes. Or at least that’s what they said… 😉
New York City was founded by a Belgian. One of the world’s most important cities – New York – owes its creation to a Belgian man. Peter Minuit joined the Dutch West India Company and traveled to the Americas searching for tradable goods. When he arrived in America, he got into discussions with the local native tribes along the Hudson River. Eventually, he bought the land of Manhattan – one of the most expensive areas in the world nowadays. The price? Just 60 guilders, or $1,500 in today’s money.
Belgium holds the world record for the longest period without a government. You might think Iraq ran much longer, but the Iraqis “spent” only 289 days government-less compared to Belgium’s 541 days without official administration. That fact didn’t stop the latter to preside over the EU for six months during the same year – 2010.
Belgium ruled a colony, which was 80x bigger than its size. Belgian Congo, located in Central Africa, was part of the Belgian Colonial Empire from 1908 until 1960. That’s where Belgium sourced a big chunk of its diamonds.
Jazz wouldn’t be jazz without the Belgians. In 1846, Adolphe Sax, a Belgian instrument maker, created the saxophone. Imagine what jazz would be like without the mellow sound of a saxophone. Hits like Baker Street and Careless Whisper wouldn’t probably have been born.
And as always have a chilled day from the Viking
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