Word: frenchmen
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...franc bill showing the bewigged head of the 17th century poet-playwright Pierre Corneille. The Banque de France has lately displayed a preference for literary men over generals and politicians-Voltaire last year replaced Richelieu on the 10-franc note, and Racine replaced Henri IV on the 50. But Frenchmen are now complaining that the new 100-franc Corneille note is confusingly similar to the 500 note, which shows Molière. Nonsense, replied a harassed bank spokesman, Molière's curls are much fuller than Corneille...
...issued in 1963 were the same size as those they replaced, except for the 50-centime piece, which was considered too cumbersome. It was trimmed down to within 1½ millimeters of the diameter of the new 20-centime piece and to within a few grams of its weight. Frenchmen often mistook the 50-for the 20-centime piece, and they soon discovered that the 20-centime piece worked perfectly well in 50-centime vending machines, while the 50-centime worked in 1-franc machines...
...government has finally given up, is now preparing to remove the troublesome 50-centime coin and replace it with a new half-franc piece of different size. Also adding to the morale of inflation-ridden Frenchmen will be a new 10-franc piece, purposely made very heavy to give "the impression that the franc is a solid, stable currency...
...fellow who claims to know about such things estimates that of the 425,-000 girl babies born in France in 1963, at least 10,000 were named Brigitte. (Frenchmen are wishful thinkers too.) But fashions in names change as fast as fashions in frocks, and the favorites now are Marielle and Christine-which ought to send a shudder through every haute couture salon in Paris...
...British Establishment that scorned dem ocratic principles in the shrewd pursuit of its own self-interest. But when French arms were triumphant in 1794 and Britain's security endangered, the government in London indicted only a few persons for treason; and, though far more suspect than most Frenchmen who perished in the Terror, every one of them enjoyed his day in court and was acquitted...