(8) Snow Line

The Louisiana Purchase isn't the longest treaty ever created, but it's definitely one of the more difficult to read, and there are a few reasons for that:

• First, we've got the rambling sentences and random capitalization and punctuation that legal documents just love to throw around. All in that 19th-century language.
• Second, we've got complicated and detailed rules laid out for transferring Louisiana to the United States, paying France for their land, and compensating Americans who were owed money by France.
• And third, all of the dates in the documents are written according to two different calendars: the Gregorian calendar that we all know and love and the French Revolutionary Calendar, which was super confusing and only lasted for 13 years.

This pool of awesome is tough to wade into, but we're here to help you clear the weeds and enjoy this swim through the biggest real estate deal in history.