July 14

Storming of the Bastille — French Revolution's Defining Moment

Parisian crowds stormed the Bastille fortress, a symbol of royal tyranny, killing its governor and releasing seven prisoners. The fortress held only barrels of gunpowder and a handful of inmates but its fall became the iconic moment of the French Revolution.

Bastille Day remains the French national holiday, and the storming of the Bastille became the worldwide symbol of popular revolution against tyranny.