2014
Even world leaders need to have a little fun, but in the case of German chancellor Angela Merkel, a ski vacation to Switzerland was soured by a fall that allegedly fractured her pelvis. While a spokesman assured Merkel would make a full and speedy recovery, the chancellor will need help getting around the halls of Parliament over the next few weeks. CNN reports:
Merkel was cross-country skiing when the accident occurred. Spokesman Steffen Seibert did not disclose the date of the incident, but said her injuries are not thought to be serious.
Merkel, who has been chancellor of Germany since 2005, will need aid to walk over the next few weeks and will be canceling some of her commitments, Seibert said.
Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) said it will delay its party retreat, originally slated for January 10–11, as a result of her accident.
1524
Rulers have always taken an interest in sport, with varying degrees of success. During a routine jousting tournament, England’s Henry VIII met with the wrong end of the Duke of Suffolk’s spear, though he brushed it off in suitably royal fashion. George Cavendish, right hand of Cardinal Wolsey, describes the unfortunate event in his diary:
The duke set forward and charged with his spear, and the king likewise unadvisedly set off toward the duke. The people, seeing the king’s face bare, cried hold, hold; the duke neither saw nor heard, and whether the king remembered his visor was up or not few could tell. Alas, what sorrow was it to the people when they saw the splinters of duke’s spear strike the king's headpiece. The duke’s spear broke into splinters and pushed the king’s visor or barbette so far back with the counter blow that all the king’s head piece was full of splinters. The armorers were much blamed for this, and so was the lord marquise for delivering the spear blow when his face was open, but the king said that no one was to blame but himself, for he intended to have saved himself and his sight.
The duke immediately disarmed and came to the king, showing him the closeness of his sight, and he swore that he would never run against the king again. But if the king had been even a little hurt, his servants would have put the duke in jeopardy. Then the king called his armorers and put all his pieces of armor together and then took a spear and ran six courses very well, by which all men could see that he had taken no hurt, which was a great joy and comfort to all his subjects present.