7. King George’s Blue Pee Caused the American Revolution
Queen Victoria was the last monarch from the House of Hanover, a family famous for its inbreeding and subsequent genetic abnormalities. King George III of England, known to history as the one who lost the American Revolution, also belonged to this house and may have suffered from a condition known as porphyria. Porphyria is a genetic condition that causes bouts of madness and also causes the one suffering to have purplish-bluish urine.
However, recent scientific analyses have cast doubt on the porphyria hypothesis and merely claim that the king had a mental illness, possibly bipolar disorder, which could have been caused by the inbreeding within the House of Hanover. During his manic states, his writing was markedly different; sentences could be over 400 words long. He was even known to talk and talk and talk until foam came from his mouth. In fact, he is known to history as the mad king. His treatments involved the use of straitjackets and ice baths. It’s understandable how someone in his state of mind would have lost a war as momentous as the American Revolution.
He also suffered from skin conditions (possibly caused by inbreeding), which were treated with medicine made from gentian. Gentian is known to turn urine purplish-blue, thereby leading to the theory that the king suffered from porphyria.