The King of Hearts is often called the "Suicidal King", due to the placement of his sword.
The 9 of Diamonds has the nickname "Curse of Scotland". The real reason for this is lost in time, but there are many convincing theories.
The suit the English call "Clubs", is known around the world also as: Clovers, Flowers and Crosses.
The name "Ace", is thought to derive from the Latin word "As", a coin measure.
Playing Card manufacture used to be controlled and taxed by the government. The deck would bear a special stamp as proof of legitimacy, generally on the Ace of Spaces.
When playing cards first proliferated in Europe, many different suits were used, including: Coins, Cups, Swords, Batons, Leaves, Acorns, Bells, Shields, Roses (and more). The suits we use today were standardized by the French.
In Early decks of cards, many different court cards were used: Kings, Queens, Knights, Knaves, Cavaliers, and Jacks.
The ace, generally a symbol of lower classes, first starting ranking higher than the king, in games invented in the late 1700's.
In the United States, the name "Canfield" is often misapplied to the game of "Klondike", and in England the game of "Canfield" goes by the name "Demon".
Leo Tolstoy was a big fan of patience, and wrote it into his stories. In War and Peace, for example, Pierre begins a game of patience to decide whether or not to join the army.
Even while president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt used to relax with a good game of Spider.
The first compendium of Solitaire games in English, seems to be the "Illustrated Games of Patience", by Lady Adelaide Cadogan, circa 1870. (Moorhead/Mott-Smith)
Playing Cards were most likely invented in China during the 10th century, being derived from Dominoes, and called as such "Domino Cards".
According to one theory, playing cards were introduced to Europe as early as 1370. (first seen in Italy and Spain)
"Canfield" is named after Richard A. Canfield, a saloon owner in Saratoga who sold a deck of cards for solitaire to customers for $50, and would pay $5 back for each card played to a foundation.
Nearly every game of "Free Cell" is winnable, if played correctly.
"Free Cell", was invented relatively recently, and was one of the first solitaire games to be implemented as a computer program (in 1978).
Klondike, one of the most widely known and popular variations of Solitaire, actually has a very low chance of winning: about 1 in 30.
The word "Solitaire" is of french origin, and literally means "alone" (or can be "lonely", "solitary").
Solitaire (or Patience), most likely was introduced to Europe through France, hence early games like: La Bella Lucie, Le Cadran, Czarina, etc...
According to the Oxford English Dictionary: The earliest written record of Solitaire, is from 1816, describing Napeleon Bonaparte playing "Patience" while in exile.
