Now I Know: These Pigs Don't Fly, But They Are Flags

I've known about these for a long time but only now am getting around to writing about them. So the "Now" in "Now I Know," for today at least, is loosely defined. -- Dan
 

These Pigs Don't Fly, But They Are Flags

Pictured above is a domestic pig, a very common animal found on farms throughout the world. Per Statista, there were more than 750 million such pigs globally in April of 2022, so it's pretty likely that you've seen a picture of a pig before. But this one is a bit different. As you can see, it's a red pig with a thick vertical white band toward its front half. And that's rare -- very rare. This breed of pig, officially called the "Husum Red Pied," is so rare that from 1986 until 1984, per Wikipedia, "the breed was considered extinct." 

And it probably shouldn't have existed in the first place. Well, it wouldn't have, but for the Prussians.

The Kingdom of Prussia existed from 1701 through 1918 and was a predecessor of Germany. As was common in Europe over those decades, war and expansion were part of Prussia's game plan. During the first half of the 1800s, both Prussia and the Kingdom of Denmark claimed the broad land bridge now connecting the peninsula of Denmark to mainland Germany -- this was known as the Schleswig–Holstein question -- and in 1864, the two sides resolved this dispute through arms. That February, the Second Schlewig War broke out, lasting through October. In the end, Prussia took control of the disputed region -- much to the chagrin of the people who lived there but considered themselves Danes. 

The Prussians didn't want any support for Denmark within their borders, though, so they banned anyone from flying the Danish flag. For would-be-Danish farmers in North Frisia, one of the regions now under Prussian control (here's a map), this wasn't appreciated. They wanted to show their allegiance to the country in the north, despite the Prussians' rules. So they got creative, as Mental Floss explains (with a link added by me):

Through a crafty program of crossbreeding, Danish farmers tried to create a new breed of pig that faintly resembled their beloved home's flag. It wasn't terribly difficult. The banner of Denmark is relatively simple—a flat red background covered by a long, white Nordic cross—so all the pig needed was a coat of red fur and one or two prominent white belts.
The pigs -- called Protestschwein, or "Danish Protest Pig" -- didn't win back the territory for Denmark. Today, North Frisia is part of Germany. But modern-day Germans appreciate the historical significance of the animal. As Livestock of the World notes, "the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein supports the preservation of the race for its cultural value," and today, there are about 140 Danish Protest Pigs around the world, the vast majority of which live in German zoos.


Now I Know is supported by readers like you. Please consider becoming a patron by supporting the project on Patreon. 

Click here to pledge your support. (If you do, in gratitude, you'll have an ad-free Now I Know experience going forward.)

Bonus fact: The flag of Denmark has a claim to fame that is probably more significant than "the only one (as far as we know) to be recreated on a breed of pig." According to the experts at Guinness World Records, the flag of Denmark holds the title of "oldest continuously used national flag," dating back to 1625.

From the Archives: The King Who Received Six Votes Out Of 240,000: How a Danish prince became the King of Greece.
Like today's Now I Know? Share it with a friend -- just forward this email along.
And if someone forwarded this to you, consider signing up! Just click here.
Share Share
Tweet Tweet
Forward Forward
Archives · Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2024 Now I Know LLC, All rights reserved.
You opted in, at http://NowIKnow.com via a contest, giveaway, or the like -- or you wouldn't get this email.

Now I Know is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Some images above via Wikipedia.

Now I Know's mailing address is:
Now I Know LLC
P.O. Box 536
Mt. Kisco, NY 10549-9998

Add us to your address book


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your email address or unsubscribe from this list

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp

Older messages

Now I Know: Driving Off With the... Driveway?

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

An odd theft with a less-odd explanation View this email in your browser · Missed one? Visit the Archives Happy 2024! -- Dan Driving Off With the... Driveway? Apopka, Florida, is a suburb of Orlando,

Now I Know: The Plane Truth -- Let's Break for the Year!

Friday, December 22, 2023

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! View this email in your browser · Missed an issue? Click here! If you're new to Now I Know, you'll notice that today's format is different than the rest

Now I Know: Why Would You Name a Snowman "Parson Brown"?

Thursday, December 21, 2023

A Winter Wonderland mystery View this email in your browser · Missed one? Visit the Archives I've had this on my to-do list for years; I usually, unfortunately, remember in January or February.

Now I Know: When Boston Banned Christmas

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Ho ho no? No no no! View this email in your browser · Missed one? Visit the Archives This is a re-run from 2012 -- I made a slight update (to reflect the number of Federal holidays we now have) but

Now I Know: The Town That Raged Against Rage Against the Machine

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Utah vs. heavy metal/punk rock View this email in your browser · Missed one? Visit the Archives This is a long one because I wanted to get the SNL story in there, but that could have been the bonus

You Might Also Like

The Agile Prompt Engineering Framework

Thursday, March 20, 2025

A Structured Approach for Agile Practitioners ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

for Authors  • World Book Day Promo • Email Newsletter + Facebook Group Posts

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Book promo on 4/23/25 for World Book Day Join ContentMo's World Book Day Promotion #WorldBookDay is April 23rd each year. ContentMo is running a special promo on 4/23/25 for World Book Day

Conversion rate up but revenue not?

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Common issue - here's what to do. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

KU eBook £0.99 •  Angels & Devils by William Wilson • Short Story Collection • Paperback

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Cautionary tales of ordinary mortals doing extraordinary things. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Welcome to ContentMo's Book

Career advice in 2025. @ Irrational Exuberance

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Hi folks, This is the weekly digest for my blog, Irrational Exuberance. Reach out with thoughts on Twitter at @lethain, or reply to this email. Posts from this week: - Career advice in 2025. - Setting

A Mushroom Grows in Moscow

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

A weird way to insult Vladimir Lenin? ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Ready to Elevate Your Bio? Let's Talk.

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Boost the bottom line and scale the business. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

🔊 Audiobook Promos 🔊 Facebook Group posts 🔊 Pins & more • 60 Day orders save 15% +

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Affordable Audio Book Promos ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ See what authors are saying about ContentMo Enable Images Audiobook

ChatGPT + SEO PowerSuite: 20 Quick SEO Hacks You Need Now

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Struggling to keep up with SEO? Discover 20 powerful ways to use ChatGPT with SEO PowerSuite to streamline research, optimize content, and boost rankings—all with less effort. Work smarter, not harder!

Webinar: Why most B2B ad campaigns fail.

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

And what's working out there TODAY. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏