During the Revolution, Queen Marie Antoinette never actually said, “Let them eat cake!” It was likely a fabrication used to paint her as out of touch with the common people. It clearly worked!
After Louis XVI’s execution, a lock of his long hair was saved and later sold for a hefty price—over $5,000. Sacré bleu!
The oath taken by French citizens that triggered the French Revolution occurred at a tennis court.
When King Louis XVI tried to flee France, a local postmaster recognized his face and raised the alarm. The postmaster said he recognized the king from his portrait on a paper bill. What a slip-up!
“La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem, was a popular patriotic song sung during the French Revolution.
The national motto of France, Liberté, Fraternité, Égalité
(Liberty, Fraternity, Equality), originated as a popular phrase during the French Revolution.
The Louvre became a public museum during the French Revolution. Before the revolution, the Louvre Palace and its collections had been the
property of the French king.
The first public zoo, the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes, was founded in Paris by revolutionaries when they required French aristocrats to hand over their exotic creatures. Many of the zoo's animals also came from the Palace of Versailles.
The Phryges, the mascots for the 2024 Paris Olympics, are a nod to the iconic Phrygian cap worn by many French revolutionaries. Hats off to freedom!