France has a strict and explicit separation of church and state

Most Americans support the separation of church and state

A 2021 Pew survey found that 55% of Americans strongly or moderately support the separation of church and state, while 14% favor integrating religion more into government.

The words 'separation of church and state' are not found in the Constitution

Responding to Connecticut Baptists concerned about religious liberty, Jefferson described the First Amendment as building "a wall of separation between church and state." The Supreme Court later cited the letter as an authoritative guide to the Establishment Clause.

Louisiana has parishes instead of counties

Louisiana is the only US state that uses parishes rather than counties as its primary local government unit. The distinction traces back to the state's French and Spanish Catholic colonial heritage.

The First Amendment established religious freedom as a constitutional right—a safeguard no other nation had before

Europe had limited religious tolerance for centuries, but always as a privilege granted by rulers who could revoke it. The First Amendment in the United States was unique for the time: It banned the government from interfering with religion, making religious freedom a permanent constitutional limit on state power.

Until 1970, the Sorbonne was the most prestigious academic institution in France

Named after its founder, Robert de Sorbon, the former University of Paris was founded in 1253 to teach clerics and agents of royal and ecclesiastical institutions. The school was split into several autonomous universities after protests in May 1968.

Madison argued that the government had no authority to regulate faith

James Madison viewed religion as a matter of individual conscience beyond the reach of the state, opposing government funding of churches and advancing a model of religious liberty based on noninterference rather than official toleration.

The Supreme Court decided that a public school coach's postgame prayers were protected speech

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of a high school football coach who had been suspended for kneeling in prayer at midfield after games. The decision shifted away from the Lemon test and toward a more expansive view of religious freedom in the Establishment Clause.

Pierce v. Society of Sisters limited state power over how parents educate their children

In striking down Oregon’s attempt to ban private schools, the Supreme Court held that forcing children into public education violated substantive due process, affirming that parents—not the state—have a fundamental right to direct their children’s upbringing and education.

Maryland required officeholders to declare a belief in God until 1961

In Torcaso v. Watkins (1961), the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a Maryland requirement that officeholders declare belief in God violated the First and 14th Amendments. The decision struck down religious tests for public office across all states.

Religion dominated many aspects of Colonial life and was enforced by the government

Eight of the 13 British Colonies in America had official, established churches, and laws mandated that everyone attend a house of worship and pay taxes that funded ministers' salaries.

The culture shock of flossing in France

Flossing is a typical recommendation from US dentists as a low-risk method of reducing plaque buildup on your teeth. However, in many parts of the world, especially France, the practice is not a cultural norm. This article explores reactions from French natives to the idea of flossing and examines the surprising lack of studies proving (or disproving) the efficacy of using floss.

Mapping the Middle East showing Sunni and Shia populations by country

France24's interactive visualization shows where each branch of Islam predominates across the region, from Iran's Shia majority to Saudi Arabia's Sunni dominance. The map helps make Middle Eastern politics (and conflicts) more legible.

What was the French Revolution?

This 12-minute video provides an overview of the French Revolution of 1789, a conflict brewed from food shortages and economic hardships. On May 5, 1789, French King Louis XVI called a meeting of the three groups--known as estates--made up of...

The subtle red carpet war

The dress code for the Cannes Film Festival’s red carpet is conservative by today’s standards, leading to conflict with stylists embracing more contemporary looks. While some rules are Cannes’, others are out of their hands because they’re French law.

In 1922, the Ku Klux Klan tried to ban private education

The white supremacist organization was also staunchly anti-Catholic and sought to outlaw parochial schools by passing legislation that forced parents to send their children to public institutions.

44% of Americans say they pray at least once a day—discover how your state's religiosity stacks up against the rest of the country.

'Velayat-e faqih' is the religious doctrine that has governed Iran since the 1979 revolution

Meaning "guardianship of the Islamic jurist," the doctrine transfers all political and religious authority to the Shia clergy, with the supreme leader holding ultimate power over the state. Developed by Khomeini in the 1970s, it has served as the foundation of Iran's government since the revolution.

Technically speaking, Christian Dior SE is the primary holding company of LVMH

That's because it owns about 42% of LVMH's shares and controls about 57% of its voting rights. It's a complex relationship, given that Christian Dior the fashion house is one of LVMH's "maisons."

Camus was born in Algeria, but was considered French

French Algeria was segregated between Arabs and "pieds-noirs," which was then a derogatory name for the million-plus Europeans living in the North African country. Camus was one of the latter, and throughout his life, he argued for political rights for Arabs while also believing the country should remain part of France. Pieds-noirs largely fled the country after it gained independence in 1962.

There are more than 300 separate sign languages worldwide

Each of these languages has its own grammar, vocabulary and cultural associations. American Sign Language, the predominant Deaf language in the US, is part of the broader French Sign Language family, which means it shares historical influences and similarities with French Sign Language (which is called LSF). International Sign is a simplified, makeshift form of communication that borrows from many languages, and it's used at international deaf conferences, among other locations.

Cannes' Sainte-Marguerite was home to the 'Man in the Iron Mask'

Although his identity was never known, the man imprisoned under King Louis XIV and forced to wear a mask—reputedly made of iron, though likely to be velvet—was imprisoned on an island off the coast of Cannes.

Pheasant Island is controlled by both the Spanish and the French

The two-acre plot of land is a condominium—a territory shared by two countries. Pheasant Island (which, curiously, is not home to pheasants) is a holdover from the end of the Thirty Years' War between France and Spain, when it was designated as a neutral area dividing the countries.

The Vatican included 'The Second Sex' on its list of forbidden books

In 1956, the Vatican added Simone de Beauvoir's "The Second Sex" and her novel "The Mandarins" to its Index Librorum Prohibitorum, which already included every book by her partner Jean-Paul Sartre. The Vatican newspaper explained that de Beauvoir's books, which advocated for birth control and criticized marriage, included "the harmful atmosphere of a certain existentialist philosophy" that contained a "hidden poison." (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

'Mardi Gras' is French for 'Fat Tuesday'

Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, requires practicing Catholics to fast. The day before the fast became known as "Fat Tuesday" because it was seen as the last opportunity to indulge before fasting on Ash Wednesday and sacrificing throughout Lent. "Carnival" comes from the Latin for "removal of meat."

Why only a single region can call it Champagne

Champagne isn't just sparkling wine—it's a product of strict tradition and geography. By law, only bottles made in France's Champagne region using the "méthode champenoise" can bear the name. From fermentation to riddling and disgorgement, each bottle undergoes years of meticulous crafting before it's ready to be popped.

The Declaration was a calculated appeal for foreign allies

This article argues that the Declaration of Independence wasn’t just a statement of separation from Britain. It was a strategic message aimed at France and Spain, designed to secure military support against the far stronger British Empire.

The rivalry between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson centered on federalism—the question of how much power the federal government should hold relative to the states.

Hotels in Cannes, the glamorous city on the French Riviera, hire hawks to ward off seagulls during the city's famous film festival.

See this overview of the firework rules across all 50 states, ranging from a complete ban on non-professional fireworks in Massachusetts to states with more lax rules like Indiana.

In preparation for this weekend's Eurovision finale, which is something like the World Cup of pop music, here's a young Céline Dion performing (for Switzerland?) at the 1988 competition.

The US Constitution is widely regarded as the longest-standing written national constitution still in force—see how it has influenced rights worldwide.

Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley' is infamous for having some of the highest industrial pollution, toxic air emissions, and cancer risks in the US.

Prince's sexually explicit 1984 track 'Darling Nikki' attracted the ire of the Parents Music Resource Center, an advocacy group that inspired the Parental Advisory sticker, even though the song ends with a Christian message.

The Mona Lisa's celebrity status and repeated restorations have obscured what made the painting so revolutionary for its time

During the French Revolution, a botanist's letter asking about "dear Rhus" (poison ivy) was intercepted, leading authorities to suspect he was conspiring with the Russians.

All rainbows are 'raincircles' caused by water droplets separating white sunlight into a spectrum of colors, but Earth's surface blocks the bottom half of the circle from our line of sight.

Chaos theory—informally known as the butterfly effect—is the reason why weather forecasts are presented with probabilities rather than certainties.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is independent of Iran's regular army and is one of the most powerful and influential military-political organizations in the Middle East.

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.

The first horror movie is believed to be George Méliès' 1986 short 'The Haunted Castle,' which pioneered the use of special effects

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones in communities in West Africa have hampered Ebola responses.

Existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre coined the famous phrase 'Hell is—other people' in his play 'No Exit'

Tattoos remain visible on your skin thanks to immune cells called macrophages

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the SC Johnson headquarters in Wisconsin, aiming to make a cathedral-like workplace

An initial public offering or 'IPO' is the process of a private company becoming public by putting shares of the company on the stock market for purchase.

Lesser-known phobias include turophobia, or the fear of cheese, and nomophobia, the fear of being without your cell phone.

See photos of Meteora, a mountainous site in central Greece, home to 14th-century monasteries perched atop soaring outcroppings.

The most expensive ad of all time was for Chanel No. 5 perfume and cost roughly $33M to produce in 2004—about $57M in today's dollars.

A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us," resulting in countless memes, the creation of a music festival, and eventually the arrests of those who did try to approach the area.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'