1 – Britain was joined to France by land until about 10,000 years ago when the English Channel was formed.
2 – France won silver medals for cricket at the 1900 Olympics behind Great Britain. No others entered.
3 – France won all the medals at the Olympic croquet in 1900. All the entrants were French.
4 – French Queen Catherine de Medici (1519-89), declared 13-inch waists to be the height of fashion and banned women with thick waists from court.
5 – Ninth-century Kings of France include Charles the Bald, Charles the Fat and Charles the Simple.
6 – Enid Blyton’s Noddy is known as Oui-Oui in France. Mickey Mouse is Michel Souris.
7 – France has won 16 Nobel Literature prizes, the most of any country. The UK comes next with 12.
8 – One French winner was Anatole France (1844- 1924), who was found after his death to have had one of the smallest human brains ever recorded.
9 – The Brotherhood Of Frog Thigh Tasters has its headquarters in the town of Vittel in France.
10 – Commercial frog harvesting was banned in France in 1980. Most frogs eaten there now are imported.