Something That Blew My Mind

So I was on a wikipedia excursion recently, where I start by reading about something I'm interested in and then end up jumping around via hyperlinks to articles and articles about more and more extraneous topics until I always end up at the enormous list of paraphilias. No matter what I begin searching for, I invariably end up confronted with the cold truth of my life as a Peodeiktophile.

But anyway, en route to my shameful personal revelation I was reading about Hitchcock and his films, and I ended up reading Grace Kelly's page. Without saying anything else, most people probably know Grace Kelly was a talented and beautiful actress. Many will probably know that she was the Princess of Monaco by marriage. One could logically assume that she could have had her pick of men from around the world, and perhaps she did just that.

But that's not what blew my mind. No, not that she was really only in 11 movies her whole career, which I think is a pretty small number for her iconic status. Unless you're River Phoenix, there's no excuse for that.

What blew my mind is that

SHE PAID A $2,000,000 DOWRY TO HER HUSBAND.

IN 1956.

You could pay me 2 million dollars to do almost anything. I have no concept of how much or little money that is, when people say "a million" I am like a child and I think its all of anything I would ever need. 2 million? You might as well say double gazillionfinity. I will stuff a sick toddler in a suitcase and throw it in front of an Amtrak train for $2,000,000.

"Oh, will you marry me, beloved and gorgeous American woman? Am I already fabulously wealthy and the ruler of a European country? Have I not been courting you this whole time, and came to your country to ask you to quit making films and to come live with me? That will run you two million of your beloved and gorgeous American dollars."

And she paid it. I must know more about this Prince Rainier. I must own a part of him.