Welcome to Erin Mankie's Cabinet of Curiosity's, a production of I Heart Radio and Grimm

and Mild.

Our world is full of the unexplainable.

And if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display,

just waiting for us to explore.

Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosity's.

Ah, Paris, the city of light, the city of love, and the city of unnecessary challenges

of violence in the name of romance.

That's what it was like in France in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In those days, if someone offended you or you were competing for the love of a particular

woman, you could challenge the other person to a duel.

Before the late 18th century, swords were the weapon of choice.

In 1841s, the history of dueling, the author outlined dozens of rules to be followed

for a successful duel.

For example, rule 43 dictated what moves a fighter could make with a sword, stating,

combatants are allowed to raise themselves, to stoop, to vault to the right or to the

left, and to turn around each other.

Rule 44 allowed combat to stop if one party declared themselves wounded, or if one of

the witnesses noticed that someone had been hurt.

And just how common was it?

Well King Louis XIII pardoned more than 8,000 people for committing murder during a duel.

So yeah, a lot.

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