Dirk Willems was a Dutch anabaptist in the 16th century. He was imprisoned by the Catholic church but he escaped his confinement by running on an icy pond. One of the prison guards chased after him, and he fell in the frozen water. Willems turned back to save him, but he was recaptured because ofContinue reading “Fun Fact: The Tragedy of Dirk Willems”
Tag Archives: netherlands
Fun Fact: Karl Marx’s Capitalist Cousin
One of the founders of the electronics company Phillips was Gerard Phillips. Ironically the Dutch businessman was a maternal first cousin of Karl Marx, as his aunt was Marx’s mother.
Fun Fact: Shakespeare in a Pickle
The phrase “in a pickle” was first used in a play by William Shakespeare. Though he probably borrowed it from a Dutch phrase. Both in Dutch and English in Shakespeare’s time, it meant to be in a state of drunkeness.
Fun Fact: Hundred Years Without a Dutch king
When King William III of the Netherlands died in 1890, the throne of the Netherlands fell into the hands of Queens until 2013, when Willem-Alexander became the first king in over a hundred years.
Fun Fact: Snellen Chart
A Snellen chart is the most common type of eye chart used around the world. It was created by the Dutch doctor Herman Snellen in the 19th century.
