h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

And King George's War (the war of Austrian succession) was over by then. Think one major war later.

Any guesses left on the war? Or shall I explain?

Go for it. But I think I've got the gist.

Very very nice one Malabarista. And those s don't half look pretty on my mantlepiece!

Ben

King Friedrich II (* 1712, † 1786) was crowned King in Prussia in 1740. He is affectionately nicknamed "der Alte Fritz", or Old Fred.

He refused the French style of flashy absolute monarchy, and proclaimed that a crown was "a hat that lets the rain in". He immediately started many social and political reforms - abolishment of torture and coroporal punishment, schools, etc. He also wanted to introduce the new crop that was becoming popular elsewhere in Europe and the colonies - the potato!

However, his citizens were resistant to the idea. Some outright refused to eat it as it was the "devil's vegetable", others claimed (quite rightly) that its fruit was poisonous, yet others had heard that foreigners used them for *pig* food...

In 1756, he gave the so-called "Kartoffelbefehl" - the "potato order". All farmers were ordered to grow potatoes, they were even to be sown on any leftover bits of green in the cities and villages - parks, schoolyards, front lawns... Poor, long-suffering Freddie even went so far as to demonstratively order and eat them everywhere he went.

People still didn't like them. He would have potatoes planted, and the farmers would go out at night and dig them back up so they could plant "proper" crops. He put the fields under guard to prevent this.

But then, with the Seven Years' War on, he needed his troops. So he drew them off, but put a heavy guard around just his own personal fields of potatoes, and refused to give any more to the commoners. The guards were probably under orders to allow potato poachers, because people started going so far as to steal in order to grow the crop that was so obviously valuable and prestigious...

nice work!

Thanks, I thought this one would be fun

Points when I get around to it.

I enjoyed following this!

for Marabista and ToyBox

Yeah, good one indeed, and quite interesting too

Ok, points:

King Bomba +6 for wild fennel QIness in Post 12
Beatrice -5 for tripping over the tulips klaxon in Post 19
Icy North +6 QI about Arab grass in Post 32
Ben -5 for the "limited number of people" in Post 34
Robyn +1 just for the clever idea that it could be a graveyard in Post 36 (If I'm allowed to do that?)
Bored Laura -5 for the poppies in Post 38
Ben +1 for a good summary of the problem, Post 61
B'Elana +3 for Friedrich II of Prussia, Post 66
B'Elana +1 for being a good sport and not telling, even though she knew (possibly on account of being German)
Ben +2 bonus points for knowing about the Lange Kerls (Long Fellows, the honour guard) Post 80
Toy Box +3 for the potatoes, Post 81
Orcus +6 QI for knowing what Prussian Blue is made of, Post 87
Toy Box +3 for guessing the reason for guarding potatoes, Post 116



There were only four klaxons:

tulips
poppies
privilege (reserved for a small group, whatever)
secret weapon


Ben, you never actually said anything about tulips, did you?

is that everyone?