King Henry VIII of England is best known for the synergistic combination of being excessive in corpulence, down on Catholicism, hard on wives, capricious in temperament, and foolhardy in his decisions. It is perhaps surprising to learn that in his younger years, he was apparently quite buff and physically fit with an easy-going disposition and a high intellect.
Researchers at Yale University now believe that Henry's change in behavior and physical condition was due to receiving several traumatic brain injuries, including from two serious jousting accidents (well, you can decide for yourself if "accidents" is the correct term for incidents where one intentionally exposes oneself to being knocked off a horse by a lance) and an unfortunate episode where he attempted to vault over a creek and landed on his head.
Who knows how history might have been changed if Hank had worn a better helmet.
For further information on the Yale study, check out this link.
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