Five Fast Facts About Playing Cards
From supporting a military ploy to liberate imprisoned soldiers, to bankrolling a president’s electoral campaign, cards have played a surprising role in history. Read on to learn about the origins of the cards we use so often, but know little about.
1.Name That Face
According to Bicycle, the face cards in playing decks were designed by French deck manufacturers to resemble historical or religious figures.
King of Hearts: Charlemagne
King of Diamonds: Julius Caesar
King of Clubs: Alexander the Great
King of Spades: David (Biblical reference)
Queen of Spades: Pallas (another name for Athena)
Queen of Hearts: Judith (Biblical reference)
Queen of Diamonds: Rachel (Biblical reference)
Queen of Clubs: Argine (anagram of Regina – Queen in Latin)
2.Suit Up
While there’s some debate over the true origin of the four suits, it’s believed that each suit represents one of the economic principals of the Middle Ages. Hearts symbolize the church, spades stand for the military, clubs represent agriculture and diamonds allude to merchants.
3.All in, Nixon.
Richard Nixon was a talented card player and in 1946, he used $6,000 in poker winnings to help fund his initial political campaign for Congress. The president stated that many of the skills he learned playing poker were useful in politics and foreign affairs.
4.Freedom Cards.
During WWII, the United States Playing Card Company collaborated with American and British intelligence agencies to design a special deck of playing cards to be delivered to soldiers held in German prisons. When wet, the cards peeled apart, revealing a hidden map that illustrated an escape route. Bicycle sells Escape Map Playing Decks to commemorate the historical event.
5.House of Cards
Bryan Berg holds the record for building the biggest card structure in March 2010. He built a 10.39 metre long, 2.88 metre high and 3.54 metre wide replica of The Venetian Macao, the Plaza Macao and Sands Macao.
Berg was sought out by LG Electronics Home Appliance to create the tallest house of cards – constructed on a running LG washing machine. The challenge was a success, and Berg was awarded with a certificate of achievement by Guinness World Records.