Bastille Day

[maggiebee]

Not sure if this has already been posted, but happy Bastille Day to all our French friends and neighbours.

[elliemay1]

Bonne fête nationale

[Jackdaw33]

A little-known fact about the Bastille:

It was a symbol of government oppression, supposedly full of political prisoners. When it was stormed on July 14th, 1789, it was discovered that it held only seven prisoners, six of whom were certified lunatics who had been incarcerated for their own safety.

[Vagus]

We were in France for Bastille day a number of years ago.
It was great, their equivalent of bonfire night almost, but because it’s in the summer it was warm and sunny and the fireworks were amazing.

[mallyh]

it's my 48th wedding anniversary today as well x

[novalis]

One of its former inmates was the Marquis de Sade but I think he had been transferred elsewhere before it was stormed.

[gulliver1]

TTT is having a party , he loves the French and so he should.

[Peter Pedant]

I knew that fact ! I thought it was two - and they were let in

wasnt Manette in the Bastille in Tale of Two Cities?

Quezzie on Quorum - would Buckingham Palace be easier to storm than Versailles ( sic) in 1789 _ kings and queen very bad of any nationality in the Land of the Free. I did point out it was Bastille Day and that gave the game away. I thought I ought to offer them honorary membership of AB - free in view of their galloping gormlessness

Fronts van-sank - France 24 - you tube had wall to wall coverage - scared of terrorism as they marched up and down the Champs Elysees

[jno]

Michael Fagan stormed Buckingham Palace without too much trouble.

In Victoria's day a teenager called Thomas Jones broke in several times. He became known as In-I-go Jones.

[Peter Pedant]

did you just make that up?

I fortta Fagan - but he didnt exactly storm, innit? - creeping froo a windah like a thief in the night, cant exctly be a storm

[jno]

it's in Wikipedia, it must be true

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_boy_Jones