July 14 is Bastille Day, the French national holiday. It marks the day in 1789 when the Parisian populace stormed the Bastille prison, tearing down the walls and setting the seven prisioners free. The event set into motion the events that would eventually lead to the French Revolution and the creation of a republic in France.The day is celebrated with fireworks, the waving of the tricolore (the French red, white, and blue flag), and parades, none of which is larger than the parade down the Champs Elysees in Paris. Here is a segment of that parade in 2005, with …read more