In May of 1637, Cardinal Richelieu of France invented the table knife. Distinguished by its rounded tip the Cardinal ordered his kitchen staff to file off the sharp points on all the knives to improve his guests’ table manners. It was common at the time to stab meat, eating it off the knife, and to pick ones teeth with the instrument after the meal. This also had the side effect of making dinner a much less dangerous affair, and in 1669 King Louis XIV banned all pointy knives at the table and on the streets of France.
It is currently illegal to carry a pointy knife in Sweden.
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