Jack and JIll
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.
Admit it, you fooled around with the lyrics to "Jack and Jill" a bit yourself when you were younger, turning what you thought was an innocent poem into something a little bit naughty. But its origins aren't as clean-cut as you probably imagined. One of the most common theories surrounding the story's origin is that it's about France's Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, who were both found guilty of treason and subsequently beheaded. The only problem is that those events occurred nearly 30 years after "Jack and Jill" was first written. The more likely possibility is that it's an account of King Charles I's attempt to reform the tax on liquid measures. When Parliament rejected his suggestion, he instead made sure that the volume was reduced on half- and quarter-pints, known as jacks and gills, respectively.
