In the early 19th Century, Vienna, imperial city of the Habsburgs, was about the size of Dayton, Ohio. For a little city, it had big appetites. In an average year its 200,000 citizens ate 12,967 suckling pigs, drank 382,578 barrels of beer, 473,339 barrels of wine. Even more impressive than the way they ate and drank was the way the Viennese waltzed. Every night in the week, a quarter of the entire population whirled themselves dizzy in Vienna's dance halls.
Over Vienna's jitterbugs in ¾ time ruled two men with more power than the Emperor himself. They did not make Vienna's laws,...
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