We’re back this week at Statesman Ties to talk about the cultural heavyweight, France, the county that inspired our France tie.

Fun Fact 1: The shortest reigning king in history was Louis XIX, who ruled France for a mere 20 minutes before he abdicated himself in favor of his nephew, the Duke of Bordeaux. Good ol’ Louis technically shares this record with Crown Prince Luis Philipe, who was briefly king of Portugal after his father was assassinated, but he quickly died of his wounds.

Fun Fact 2: The Eiffel Tower, possibly the most famous tourist attraction in the world, was built for the 1889 Paris Exposition and originally, it was not intended to be a permanent structure.

My favorite fun fact: In France, you can marry a dead person. But of course, you can’t just marry any dead person. There are stipulations. You have to prove that the deceased intended to marry you and you also need permission from the French president.

Tell us an interesting fun fact about France in the comments. Don’t forget to check out our France tie and tune in next week when we talk about Germany!