Have you ever wondered why there are four suits in a deck of cards and what do they each represent? Well, the four suits in a deck of cards represent each of the four major pillars of the economy in the middle ages: hearts represented the Church, spades represented the military, clubs represented agriculture, and diamonds represented the merchant class. Now that tidbit may add some curiosity to your next card game!

from …Randon Facts… on the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer website