20. Why was the French croissant shaped after the Islamic crescent?
Croissant (Wikimedia Commons)
In September 1683 a coalition of Christian kingdoms clashed with the mighty Ottoman, Muslim, empire at the gates of Vienna. On the verge of total defeat, a Polish-Christians force jumped to the rescue, turned the table around, and transformed it into a great victory for the Christian coalition.
It is said that the croissant was shaped after the Muslim crescent and created to celebrate the defeat of the Ottoman attack on the city.
Flag of the Ottoman Empire (Wikipedia)
Bonus fact: When checking the Ottman camp, the coalition forces found a strange black liquid, we now know as coffee. This marked the beginning of the great invasion of the dark beverage into the continent.