Originally Posted by gsoltso

Bastille Day is considered to be the beginning of the French Revolution (symbolically anyway). The people stormed the Bastille (which was a fortress that served as a prison as well), and even after the gates were opened to prevent wholesale slaughter both sides kept fighting (oops). It signalled the beginning of the end of feudalism in France and is celebrated as the French Independence Day (basically). Interesting couple of notes, the storming citizens were reinforced by "turncoat" guards of the Bastille, and none of the prisoners being detained during the storming were of any real consequence politically. Nutshell description, and please forgive me if I am fuzzy on details, it ha been 20 yeara since I read anything about it.