Historical Connections
The actual key to the Bastille was given to George Washington as a gift by Lafayette, a French hero of both the American and French Revolutions (big changes)!
Bastille Day - Facts for Kids
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Facts About Bastille Day For Kids
On the first anniversary (yearly remembering) of breaking into the Bastille, around 300,000-400,000 people gathered for a huge celebration that lasted several days!
After the Bastille fell in 1789, builders reused its stones to help build the Pont de la Concorde, the bridge in Paris over the Seine! So every time you cross that bridge, you’re walking on history!
A brave watchmaker named Jean-Baptiste Humbert was one of the first to storm into the Bastille on July 14, 1789! Another man, Claude Cholat, helped too — and later painted the scene!
Before it became a prison, the Bastille was built as a strong fortress to protect Paris from English attacks during a long war!
One of the seven prisoners freed from the Bastille included an Irishman who thought he was Julius Caesar and had been there for about eight years!
The Bastille’s governor (prison boss) had decorated his rooms with beautiful furniture and artwork, making part of the prison look like a palace!
The revolutionaries (freedom fighters) found the prison’s official menu book, which showed that rich prisoners ate fancy meals with many courses!
The Bastille had its own doctor, chapel (small church), and library for certain privileged (special) prisoners!
Fun and Unique Facts
The French military planes create the world’s largest tricolor flag in the sky using special colored smoke!
Modern Bastille Day celebrations often include drone shows (flying robots) that create amazing light pictures in the night sky!
Many French phrases we use today, like “liberté” (freedom), became popular because of the French Revolution!
The design of the French Revolution’s liberty cap (freedom hat) inspired the modern French postal service (mail) logo!
The French Revolution that began with Bastille Day introduced the metric system (way of measuring) we use today!
The French Revolutionary Calendar, created after breaking into the Bastille, had ten days in each week instead of seven!
The idea of citizen armies (regular people as soldiers), which started during the French Revolution, changed how countries around the world organize their military!
The French Revolution influenced fashion (clothing styles) worldwide, making simpler clothes popular instead of fancy royal styles!
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, written shortly after Bastille Day, influenced human rights documents (papers about fairness) worldwide!
The revolutionary idea of public museums (places everyone can see art) started after the Bastille fell, when royal art collections were opened to everyone!
