France Archives
August 24, 2011Allies Liberate Paris from German Occupation
On Aug. 25, 1944, Charles de Gaulle and the Allied forces recapture Paris after four years of occupation by Nazi Germany. 
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| France - Wednesday August 24th, 2011 | Send to a Friend
Concorde Crashes in Paris
All 109 people on board and four on the ground were killed on July 25, 2000, when Air France Flight 4590 crashed shortly after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris. The crash was the first fatal accident of a Concorde jet, and helped lead to the aircraft's retirement in 2003. Send to a Friend | Permalink
| France - Monday July 23rd, 2012 | Send to a Friend
French Revolution: Storming of Bastille
As the French Revolution began in the summer of 1789, revolution-minded crowds sought weapons to arm themselves against military retaliation. The Bastille, a fortress and prison in Paris, represented royal authority and also housed ammunition and gunpowder invaluable to the revolutionaries. On July 14, a mob of nearly 1,000 people stormed the Bastille and seized it. Send to a Friend | Permalink
| France - Monday July 16th, 2012 | Send to a Friend
French Agents Sink Greenpeace Flagship
On July 10, 1985, the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior was attacked and sunk by French agents. The French government planned and authorized the attack to prevent the ship from interfering in nuclear weapons tests on the Moruroa atoll. The bombing took place while the ship was in port in order to avoid casualties, but photographer Fernando Pereira drowned while retreiving his camera equipment. Send to a Friend | Permalink
| France - Tuesday July 10th, 2012 | Send to a Friend
Le Mans Crash Kills 83 Spectators
During the running of the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 11, Pierre Levegh's Mercedes 300 SLR crashed into a track-side embankment, sending debris flying into a crowd of fans. Levegh and 83 spectators were killed, 120 others were injured. The disaster remains the most deadly auto racing accident ever, and led to racing bans in multiple countries. Despite the carnage, the race continued; Mike Hawthorn and his Jaguar team won by five laps. Send to a Friend | Permalink