WeekInTime Issue 73: Off With Their Beards!

Peter the Great forcibly shaves the beards of his nobles in 1698

It’s often said that only two things in life are certain — death and taxes — but it’s hard to see a tax on hair growth as inevitable. Back from an extended trip, the Russian tsar greeted his nobles with a handshake and razor. This week in time, Peter the Great started forcibly shaving the beards of his nobles, which would eventually transform into a tax…