A Day in History

Today, but many years ago, in 1638 Louis XIV Le Roi Soleil was born. He was King of France until his death in 1715.

What does le Roi Soleil mean and why he was called like that?
It is “The Sun King” in French. He viewed himself as the direct representative of God because parents christened him Louis-Dieudonné, meaning “gift of God.” To illustrate his status, he chose the sun as his emblem.

Also a U.S. State is named after him.
7 of states are named after royalty — it was ususal. In 1682 French explorer René-Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle canoed down the Mississippi River and came across Mississippi basin.

He claimed the territory in the name of France from the natives and named it La Louisiane after Louis XIV. The territory didn’t become American property until the United States purchased it in 1803.