posted by sooyup
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Daily trivia,
Pictures of Emm
Today is Bastille Day. On this day in 1789 the people of Paris, after several days of disturbance, stormed and took possession of the fortress prison. The idea that they did so in order to free political prisoners was pure propaganda. Actually, the prison then held only seven anonymous prisoners, whose crimes are not known. The crowd of 8800 men and women had gathered to demand the surrender of the prison and the release of the arms and gunpowder held there. The prisoners were released almost as an afterthought. The prison governor and some of the guards were later killed, despite having surrendered under a flag of truce. The demolition of the Bastille started within a few days, but the site was rapidly turned into a paying attraction, producing a huge range of souvenirs, including much of the rubble. Only a few stones from the original building survive, pictured here. The former location of the fortress is called Place de la Bastille. Emma and I once stayed at a nearby hotel, frequented by Parisian whores. But that’s another story.
Today is Bastille Day. On this day in 1789 the people of Paris, after several days of disturbance, stormed and took possession of the fortress prison. The idea that they did so in order to free political prisoners was pure propaganda. Actually, the prison then held only seven anonymous prisoners, whose crimes are not known. The crowd of 8800 men and women had gathered to demand the surrender of the prison and the release of the arms and gunpowder held there. The prisoners were released almost as an afterthought. The prison governor and some of the guards were later killed, despite having surrendered under a flag of truce. The demolition of the Bastille started within a few days, but the site was rapidly turned into a paying attraction, producing a huge range of souvenirs, including much of the rubble. Only a few stones from the original building survive, pictured here. The former location of the fortress is called Place de la Bastille. Emma and I once stayed at a nearby hotel, frequented by Parisian whores. But that’s another story.
