France

Bastille Day

The Bastille Built in the 1300s during the Hundred Years’ War against the English, the Bastille was designed to protect the eastern entrance to the city of Paris. The formidable stone building’s massive defenses included 100‑foot‑high walls and a wide moat, plus more than 80 regular soldiers and 30 Swiss mercenaries standing guard. As a […]

Louis XIV

Early Life of Louis XIV Born on September 5, 1638, to King Louis XIII of France and his Habsburg queen, Anne of Austria, the future Louis XIV was his parents’ first child after 23 years of marriage; in recognition of this apparent miracle, he was christened Louis‑Dieudonné, meaning “gift of God.” A younger brother, Philippe, […]

Battle of Leipzig

Also known as the Battle of Nations, Leipzig was, In terms of numbers of troops engaged and amount of artillery, the biggest battle of the Napoleonic Wars. Separate but coordinated armies of Russians, Prussians, Swedes, and Austrians brought 370,000 troops and 1,384 guns to the battlefield, whereas Napoleon’s strength stood at 198,000 men with 717 […]

This Day in History: 05/30/1431 – Joan of Arc Martyred

This Day in History: 07/08/1951 – Paris celebrates 2,000th birthday

This Day In History: 01/14/1875 – Albert Schweitzer Born

What Was the Beast of Gévaudan?

Between 1765 and 1767, an unknown creature killed over 100 people in a rural region of France—and captivated a horrified world.

When Did People Start Eating in Restaurants?

France may be famous for its culinary legacy, but the first restaurants appeared some 600 years earlier on the other side of the world.

How Coffee Fueled Revolutions—and Revolutionary Ideas

From the Ottoman Empire to the American and French Revolutions, coffeehouses have offered a place for (sober) people to discuss new waves of thought.