The Bastille in Paris, France was a prison that housed personal and political prisoners of the king and queen, and was built during the Hundred Years’ War.
Voltaire and the Marquis de Sade had both been alumni. The number of people incarcerated there varied widely at any given time.
On July 14, 1789, the prison population was at a low swing. When hundreds of howling peasants overpowered the prison’s guards, they discovered only seven captives there to liberate, and none of them were political prisoners.
Even worse, the revolutionaries didn’t find a cache of weapons to liberate either, as they had hoped.
Oh, well, at least they got to keep all the souvenir rubble they could carry.
It’d probably be worth something today on eBay.
Related Posts
-
Where does the term “Paris Green” come from and What does Paris Green mean?
The term Paris green, which dates at least to the 1870's, seems to be of American origin, but has spread to Europe by this time. Today, it refers to the compound copper aceto-arsenite,…
-
How did Plaster of Paris get its name and Where does the term “Plaster of Paris” come from?
Gypsum would be a much simpler name than plaster of Paris. But English artisans of the fourteenth and fifteenth century thought the best quality of gypsum for conversion into plaster and mortar came…
-
What Fortress Was Built on Solid Gold?
In 1290, an Indian rajah decided to build a fortress near the city of Poona. But his engineers told him that the site of the planned fortress was so swampy that the building…
-
How many Americans supported King George instead of the revolutionaries during the American Revolutionary War?
Quite a few Americans supported King George instead of the revolutionaries during the American Revolutionary War, actually, including many family members of the patriots. For example, Benjamin Franklin's son William sent the authorities…
-
Which Insects Keep Their King and Queen Prisoners?
The lowly, destructive termite has very little regard for royalty, and in termite colonies the king and queen are held prisoner. In most termite colonies, there are three classes, or castes, of insects.…
-
Why did pirates make prisoners walk the plank and what were the other forms of punishment?
You've got the instincts of a pirate all right if you've asked yourself this question. It turns out that pirates did indeed toss prisoners overboard, and they didn't really make them walk the…
