More people in Africa speak French than in France itself.
12
In 1918, after the treaty of Versailles (end of WWI), the French Commander-in-chief said "This is not a peace. It is an Armistice for 20 years." 20 years and 65 days later, WWII happened.
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The word 'mortgage' comes from a French law term that means 'death pledge'.
14
In Turkish, the bird we call a Turkey is called "Hindi" ("from India"). In India, it's called "Peru." In Arabic, the bird is called "Greek chicken"; in Greek it's called "French chicken"; and in French it's called "Indian chicken." The bird is indigenous to none of these places.
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The French named one of their aircraft carriers after Ferdinand Foch, a man who once said "Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value".
10
In 1542, French aristocrat Marguerite De La Rocque survived being marooned for 2 years alone on a remote island off the coast of Quebec.
12
The six official languages of the United Nations are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
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