There are huge, sprawling cities, and then there is tiny Monaco, whose total territory is less than one square mile. Originally founded as a colony of the Italian state of Genoa – a gift by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI – it was liberated by a revolutionary named Francois Grimaldi, nicknamed il malizia (the malicious), who disguised himself as a monk and led a small army into the Monaco fortress.

On this day, January 8th, in 1297, thanks to Grimaldi’s cunning attack, Monaco broke away from Genoa. His conquest marked the beginning of the Grimaldi family rule, nearly unbroken for 700 years, over Monaco.

In 1955, American movie actress Grace Kelly travelled to Monaco to promote the Cannes Film Festival, meeting Monaco’s Prince Rainier III. The two began a correspondence and six months later, Rainier went to the United States to meet Kelly’s family. He asked for her hand in marriage, and she accepted right away. Their “wedding of the century” was broadcast all over Europe to an estimated 30 million people.