UPDATE: Today is July 14, 2007. This is Bastille Day in France and French possessions . (I half-heartedly apologize for my previous comment.)

On this date in history, in 1789, a mob stormed and massacred the garrison of the Bastille, a prison, in Paris. A total of seven prisoners were incarcerated in the Bastille at the time of its fall.

This is the start of the French Revolution, a true blot upon the history of the human race.

ORIGINAL COMMENT: I like to watch the parade. Many of the French troops have recently been trained in amphibious tactics. Har! HAR! Har!

Mixed feelings here. True there needed to be a change because those monarchs were so arrogant and corrupt and didn't care about the common people. But the change that came was not a good one. Robespierre and his Jacobins were no better than Communists, and they established a terrorizing regime.

Quite apart from the usual spectacularly lucid remarks from sfalconer this is a pretty entertaining holiday if you happen to be in France at the time.

Bastile Day is not French independence day it is day the Bastille was over run by the Rebels. If it was independence day what did they become independent from. It was also one of the bloodiest times in French history. Why do the french celebrate because they are french and they do what ever the hell they want. What's the fastest thing on 50000 feet, the french army in retreat.

This is my roommate's birthday...pretty good holiday i guess.

Don't you just love Sfalconer's love of the French? He's right about the representation of Bastille Day though. The 14th July, French National Holiday naturally celebrates around the Place de La Bastille and there are march-pasts at the Champs Elysees. It's aslo a big carnival.

It's great while you get to participate in the festivals in Paris! Pretty fun to go down and be able to dance, drink, get beads, etc. A lot like Mardi Gra.....Only with cuter guys!

As most are probably aware, this is the French equivalent to America’s Independence Day. I can only relate to it in that way since I’m not French – but I respect their right to self-rule and their courage to achieve it. I sometimes think of the French as fairly non-confrontational people. But they really had a lot of intestinal fortitude to storm that prison back on July 14, 1789.