1st August: Switzerland National Day

Today is Switzerland's National Day - the anniversary of the founding of the Swiss Confederation on this date in 1291.

1. Switzerland is also known as Confoederatio Helvetica, Latin for Swiss Confederation - hence the country abbreviation of CH. It was chosen as a neutral alternative to using the country's name in any of its four official languages (fyi, French, German, Italian and Rhaeto-Romantsch). The popular Helvetica typeface originates in Switzerland.
2. Switzerland is known for being neutral. It is not a member of The EU or the Euro and only joined the United Nations in 2002, despite the UN having a base in Geneva since 1946.
3. There is no single head of state in Switzerland. The function is shared between the seven members of the executive council. Although the country is often referenced as a model of direct democracy (if the people disagree with a law passed by their government, they can challenge it and demand a referendum provided they can collect 50,000 signatures within a hundred days) women did not universally get the vote there until 1990. Possibly the wackiest thing about Swiss politics is the existence of a political party called the “Anti Powerpoint Party”, founded by former software engineer Matthias Poehm, which stands against the use of Powerpoint presentations! Their motto is “Finally do something!”
4. Switzerland has its fair share of unusual laws. There is a place in a fallout shelter for every citizen by law, because “Neutrality is no guarantee against radioactivity.” Cyclists must display an insurance sticker before they can use public roads. Gun laws are extremely liberal - in fact, when men finish their military service, they are required to keep their guns so that they can protect their home from intruders, and their country, if need be, from invaders. Yet the crime rate is low - in 2010, there were only 0.5 gun murders per 100,000 compared to 5 per 100,000 in the U.S. Most unusual perhaps are the laws which forbid any denial that the holocaust happened, and keeping just one guinea pig - they must be kept in pairs.
5. Switzerland has more than 1,500 lakes. No place in Switzerland is more than 10 miles from a lake. It has a lot of mountains, too - There are 208 mountains over 3,000m high – with 24 of them over 4,000m. The highest is Monte Rosa (Dufoursptiz) at 4,634m, on the Swiss/Italian border.
6. The country is home to the oldest ski resort in the world (St Moritz, opened in 1864); the oldest toboggan run (opened in St Moritz in 1885); the longest continuous-cable funicular in Europe (The Niesenbahn in the Swiss Kandertal); the longest stairway in the world (runs alongside the Niesenbahn and has 11,674 steps); the oldest watch manufacturer in the world (Vacheron Constantin was founded in Geneva in 1755); the highest permanently inhabited village in Europe (Juf, at an altitude of 2,126m); the oldest youth hostel (established to protect travellers from bandits, it has been operating in the Swiss Alps for nearly 1,200 years); and the world's smallest vineyard, which has just three vines in 1.67 square metres. This vineyard is owned by the Dalai Lama.
7. Famous Swiss people include: Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology; Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, psychiatrist, pioneer in near-death studies; Jean Piaget, psychologist; Pirmin Zurbriggen, Alpine skiing champion; Erich von Däniken, Ancient Astronauts writer; Le Corbusier, architects; Roger Federer, tennis player; Ursula Andress, actress; Johanna Spyri, author of Heidi; and Swiss businessman Jean-Henri Dunant, founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who received the very first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.
8. Switzerland's wackiest sculptures are a giant three legged chair in Geneva, which is dedicated to the opposition to the use of landmines, and a a 500-year-old statue of a man eating a sack of babies in Bern - nobody knows why.
9. The Swiss Army knife was invented by Karl Elsener in 1891. He had not been happy to learn that the Swiss Army at that time imported its knives from Germany - so he set out to create a home manufactured, multi-purpose knife. The original Swiss Army knives were not red, as they are now, but grey with a Swiss flag on them. The only part of a modern Swiss Army knife to be made elsewhere is the corkscrew, which is made in Japan. The originals wouldn't have had corkscrews, because the soldiers weren't allowed to drink on duty. There are over 400 different models of the Swiss Army Knife. Today they might include an altimeter, barometer, and a USB memory card. It has been nicknamed “The World’s Smallest Toolbox.”
10. The Swiss eat more Chocolate than any other nation in the world, 11.3 kg per year. They also only export 2% of the Wine the country produces.