Friends: I finally got to see the window where the (17th-century) Defenestration of Prague happened, which started the Thirty Years' War and gave English everyone's favorite word, "defenestration." #levelupnerds
Since the video where I talk about "defenestration" is no longer online, some fun defenestration facts:
--basically, Catholic envoys were sent to tell the Prague Protestant leaders to stop building churches. This was not well-received! OUT THE WINDOW YOU GO. (1/x)
--All three envoys survived the fall. Catholics attributed their survival to a miracle; Protestants to the fact they fell in a giant manure pile. Physics tells us that they likely hit the gentle slope not far from the top of the toss and just rolled down it. (2/x)
--This started the Thirty Years' War, which was A Big Deal in Europe, and so was written about a lot.
--"Defenestration" comes from the Latin "de-" and "fenestra" which means "out the window." (3/x)
--Though e'erybody calls this "the Defenestration of Prague," this is actually the _Third_ Defenestration of Prague. The first one happened in 1419, at the beginning of the Hussite Wars; the second in 1483, during the Hussite Wars. (4/x)
--The other two defenestrations didn't happen in Prague Castle, but in the New Town Hall and the Old Town Hall. Just...stay away from tower windows in Prague, I guess? (FIN)
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