This Day in 1789: Bastille Day

On July 14, 1789, an angry mob approached the Bastille, a prison in France originally built as a medieval fortress, and demanded the weapons stored there. Despite resistance from the guards, the mob took the prison and released the prisoners, thus launching the French Revolution. Read more about Bastille Day and the French Revolution in Encyclopædia Britannica.

July 14 became an official holiday in France in 1880 and has been cause for much celebration since. History Reference Center offers a look at how Bastille Day has been celebrated over the years.

The Bastille itself has its own story to tell. You can read it in History Reference Center.

Image from Encyclopædia Britannica

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