Use these facts at your next notice biz , and no one will be able-bodied to keep a fire hook face .
1. Who are these kings?
Nobody ! The side card in today ’s decks do n’t act anyone in special . But cards used to have a prouder lineage . From the 16th century until the French Revolution , Parisians identified boldness cards with specific heroic figures . The king of spades was the biblical King David , and he kept good company : Charlemagne ( the magnate of inwardness ) , Julius Caesar ( diamonds ) , and Alexander the Great ( clubs ) .
2. Why do aces beat kings?
It ’s a sly question , but the guillotine may work out into the answer . Prior to the French Revolution , many games were play using the B. B. King as the highest bill in a suit . As real kings ’ political big businessman dwindle down , His Highness ’s dominance at the circuit board tabular array waned , too . According to some historiographer , the king got bumped down in party favour of the ace as an act of civil defiance .
3. Who let the joker in?
The joker is the deck ’s new chemical element . During the mid-19th C , euchre players introduce a white visiting card that would serve as the plot ’s top trump . Researchers speculate that the raw trump card was called the “ Jucker card . ” ( Juckerspielwas the original German name for euchre . ) Over time , the Jucker became the “ joker , ” and by the eighties , party had begun incorporating jesters into their packs .
4. Why is this ace so fancy?
Blame the British tax system . Beginning in 1711 , the governance levied taxes on the production of play cards . And because internal revenue agent want to stamp one card to show that the political science had become its cut , that chore fell to the “ responsibility whizz ” of spades . Although an 1862 change made duty ace unneeded , card makers continued to beautify the superstar with ornate seals .
