History or Hoax? (Vol. 1)
This article contains one true story from history and one false tale. Can you guess which is which? (The answer will be revealed in the next installment of the series.)
Speech Class 101*
President Calvin Coolidge is well known for being one of the least well known presidents of the United States. (This is unfortunate because anyone with “cool” written in their last name serves as a perfect icebreaker). Despite his future anonymity, Coolidge was renowned during his time as president in the early 1900s. On one of his trips across America, Coolidge’s train halted for water and coal. Hearing that the president was inside one of the train’s carriages, a throng of people gathered like pigeons do when you eat fries in public. And much like said pigeons, the large crowd wanted more than a passing glance. So President Coolidge woke up from his nap, stepped out onto the train’s platform and smiled. It was, no doubt about it, a distinctly presidential smile. The crowd gave a great cheer and clapped enthusiastically. Then lo and behold, President Coolidge’s wife appeared! There was more exuberant clapping. Finally the audience was convinced to cease their applause, for Coolidge was going to speak. Everyone in the crowd was hushed. Coolidge opened his mouth to speak...and at that very moment his train began to pull out of the station, hissing and creaking. Undeterred, President Coolidge called out the greatest speech of American democracy: “Goodbye.”
If Cinderella Lived in France in 1697...**
Most of us have heard tell of Cinderella--a fortunate damsel whose lost glass slipper led her to the procuring of a rich husband and bunions. King Louis XIV of France didn’t inspire the Cinderella story, but he did share her affinity for feet. Louis (better known as The Sun King) was a bit of a dandy and a rich one at that. He prided himself on his fine clothes and appearance. But above all, he was proud of his feet which were tinier (and therefore more refined) than those of the French commonfolk. King Louis would often wear minute, red slippers to draw attention to the delicate size of his feet. Naturally, the French aristocracy (who depended on the king’s favor for money and status) followed suit. Young and old, big toed and small toed, squeezed into shoes far too small for comfort. One evening, King Louis got his shoes caught in the muddy pavement as he headed into the Palace of Versailles. Turning to one of the noblemen who accompanied him, Louis said: “Monsieur Duke Brabon, your highnesses’ foot is stuck.” To which, the bold duke replied: “As are the feet of all of France.”
*This story is retold from: Boller, Paul F., Jr.. Presidential Anecdotes. Penguin Books: New York, 1982.
**This story is retold from Manning, Jane. Louis XIV’s Tiny Shoes, Marie Antionette’s Dairy Farm & 100 Other Facts You Didn’t Know About French History. Harper & Row: New York, 2001.
Calvin Coolidge Portrait: "Calvin Coolidge 1872 - 1933" by oneredsf1 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. Click here for more info.
King Louis XIV Portrait: "Portrait of Louis XIV" by Hyacinthe Rigaud in 1701. Click here for more info.