France
1797: First Ever Parachute Jump Is Made Over Paris
April 11, 2021
Schematic depiction of Garnerin's first parachute used in the Parc Monceau descent of October 22, 1797. Illustration dates from the early nineteenth century. (Library o...
A Brief History of Champagne: Where Did Champagne Come ...
December 31, 2020
In a celebratory setting, a man's hands pour champagne into a glass slipper, while bubbles float in the background, ca.1970s. (Photo by Tom Kelley/Getty Images)...
The Moulin Rouge: A Famous French Theater That Held The...
October 6, 2020
Moulin Rouge, Paris, April 2011. (Christine Zenino/Wikimedia Commons) Whether you're a lover of art, dance, or pop musicals, you've probably heard of the famo...
Napoleon's Last Days: How The Exiled French Emperor Spe...
August 8, 2020
(Agence photographique de la Réunion des musées nationaux/Wikimedia Commons) As a military leader, Napoleon Bonaparte was unmatched, and as a ruler, he was on...
Marquis De Sade: The Father Of Sadism, Explained
June 22, 2020
Poet, playwright, rebel, and seeker of erotic pleasure through all of its nuanced and varied means, the Marquis de Sade literally embodied sadism. This libidinous Fren...
Josephine Baker: French Resistance Agent, Old Hollywood...
June 8, 2020
Portrait of American-born singer and dancer Josephine Baker, circa 1925, lying on a tiger rug in a silk evening gown and diamond earrings. (Photo by Hulton Arch...
Delphine LaLaurie: New Orleans's Famously Sadistic Slav...
February 9, 2020
New Orleans is full of ghost stories, but the most haunting tale is that of Delphine LaLaurie, a mad slave owner who tortured the men and women in her employ. Sto...
Joan Of Arc: 13 Insane Things You Didn't Know
January 6, 2020
If you remember your European history, you probably remember Joan of Arc as the determined teenage girl who led the French to victory over the English in a key battle of ...
Père Fouettard: Santa's Sidekick Who Beats Up Kids
December 24, 2019
Move over, Krampus! Meet the Whipping Father, Père Fouettard if you’re nasty (or French). As one of Santa's many creepy friends, Père Fouettard travels alongside the man...
Baron Haussmann: How Architecture Ended The French Revo...
December 7, 2019
Today, the romance of Paris monopolizes all other aspects of the original City of Love. Whether couples intertwine beneath the Eiffel Tower's famed arch or e...
