Celebrating Independence with Fun Facts About France, Belgium & the U.S.

French
1. In France, it’s illegal to name a pig “Napoleon.”
2. Although the Eiffel Tower is one of the most iconic structures ever built, France had initially planned to dismantle and sell the remaining parts as scrap.  
3. “Until death do us part” is not a phrase that is always applicable in France. With permission from the president, it is sometimes legal to marry a dead individual.

Belgian
4. The world’s largest selling point for chocolate stems from Brussels Airport. Since Belgium is responsible for producing a little more than 200,000 tons per year, all of that chocolate can’t possibly be consumed by Belgians alone.
5. Today, Belgium is one of the few countries that requires education as mandatory until the age of 18.
6. French fries did not originate in France. In the late 1600s, Belgians began slicing and frying potatoes to use as a substitute for fish during the winter months when fishing wasn’t an option.

American
7. Americans did not use forks on a regular basis until after the Civil War.
8. Every day, Americans purchase and consume enough pizza to cover 100 acres.
9. In 1948, Mayor George Phillips made it illegal for citizens not to smile in the town of Pocatello, Idaho.
10. In 1993, the U.S. Department of Agriculture spent $277,000 on pickle research in an effort to create a healthier version of the kosher dill pickle that included less sodium.

Fun facts courtesy of the following articles:  
#1-2: www.confessedtravelholic.com/2011/05/69-fun-facts-about-france-2.html
#3: www.whatthafact.com/interesting-facts-about-france/
#4: www.cheeseweb.eu/2009/08/25-belgium/
#5: www.wonderfulwanderings.com/belgium-facts/
#6: www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/belgian-fries/
#7: www.funfunnyfacts.com/Fun-United-States-of-America-Facts.html
#8: www.rd.com/culture/america-fascinating-facts/
#9: www.unrealfacts.com/illegal-not-to-smile-in-pocatello-idaho/
#10: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-12-01/news/9512010178_1_kosher-rabbis-dill; www.funfunnyfacts.com/Fun-United-States-of-America-Facts.html