Bastille Day: 5 Fast Facts
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- July 14 is Bastille Day, a French holiday commemorating the storming of the Bastille fortress and prison in Paris, France on July 14, 1789. The moment served as an iconic and pivotal event in the onset of the French Revolution, and it is still celebrated around the world today.
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Here are five fun facts you may not have known about the iconic national holiday:
- Though Bastille was regarded as a national prison and a symbol of French monarchy, the large fortress only had seven prisoners captive at the time of the attack.
- When King Louis XVI heard of the siege of the Bastille in Paris, he asked the Duke of La Rochefoucauld "Is it a revolt?" The duke said: "No sire, it's not a revolt; it's a revolution." The quote has become one of the more iconic statements from the incident and serves as a representation of the years of war to come during the earlier stages of the French Revolution, which lasted until 1799.
- The first unofficial Bastille Day celebration was held on July 14, 1879, almost 90 years after the storming of the Bastille. July 14th was not declared a national holiday by law until July 14, 1880.
- British alternative rock band Bastille is named after the holiday. Lead singer Dan Smith's birthday happens to fall on the famous date.
- New York City has celebrated Bastille Day for more than 20 years with a large festival on 60th Street between 5th and Lexington Avenues. The festival features French food, song and dance in commemoration of the holiday.
