Ephemeride guide - activities

Ephemeris of September 28 in Paris: Fire at Le Printemps department store

On the morning of September 28, 1921, 40 years after the first fire, Le Printemps department store was the scene of a fire that ravaged the interior of the second building under construction.

Ephemeris of September 23 in Paris: The first flight of the balloon Le Neptune during the Siege of Paris

On September 23, 1870, with Paris under siege from the Prussian army, the first balloon took off from Place Saint-Pierre. Christened Le Neptune, the aircraft took off carrying 125 kilos of official dispatches for members of the government who had retreated to Tours.

Ephemeris of September 17 in Paris: Bomb attack in front of Tati, rue de Rennes

On September 17, 1986, Paris was once again the target of a terrorist attack on the rue de Rennes. For two weeks, the capital had been the scene of a series of attacks, claimed by a pro-Iranian terrorist network working on behalf of the Lebanese Hezbollah. The bomb, planted in front of the Tati store, killed 7 people and wounded 55, putting an end to this "black September".

Ephemeris for September 15 in Paris: Attack on the Publicis drugstore in Saint-Germain-des-Prés

On September 15, 1974, a grenade exploded in the Saint-Germain drugstore, killing 2 people and wounding 34 others. The attack was blamed on the revolutionary terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, known as Carlos.

September 10th Paris Ephemeris: Tornado wreaks havoc in the heart of Paris

On September 10, 1896, a tornado formed in the heart of Paris, just a stone's throw from Place Saint-Sulpice. In just a few minutes, the phenomenon swept across the capital, ravaging everything in its path.

Ephemeris of September 7 in Paris: The requisitioning of Parisian cabs, the "cabs de la Marne".

On September 6 and 7, 1914, 1,300 Parisian cabs were requisitioned by the French army to send reinforcements to the front line of the Battle of the Marne. The "Taxis de la Marne" carried 6,000 infantrymen, helping to halt the advance of German troops towards Paris.

Ephemeris of September 4 in Paris: Gambetta proclaims the Third Republic

On September 4, 1870, Léon Gambetta proclaimed the Third Republic in the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, following the fall of the Second Empire after Napoleon III's defeat at Sedan, and in the face of the obstinacy of the Parisian people.

Ephemeris of September 2 in Paris: The September Massacres

On September 2, 1792, the Sans-Culottes broke into Paris prisons and massacred a thousand inmates suspected of being counter-revolutionaries and in favor of the King's return.

Ephemeris for September 1st in Paris: The founding of the Sorbonne

On September 1, 1257, the Sorbonne was founded by Robert de Sorbon, chaplain and confessor to King Louis IX. Initially dedicated to destitute students, the school quickly became Europe's leading cultural and scientific center, thanks to the quality and wealth of its teaching.

Ephemeris of August 28 in Paris: The Black Death epidemic

In August 1348, Paris faced a terrible disease that spared neither women, children, nobles nor the poor. Within 4 years, the Black Death epidemic would decimate a third of the Parisian population.

Ephemeris for August 26 in Paris: Opening of the first railway line from Paris

On August 26, 1837, the first railroad line out of Paris was inaugurated. This new railway line, which was also the first in France to be built solely for passenger transport, linked the capital's 8th arrondissement to Le Pecq station in the Yvelines.

Ephemeris of August 25 in Paris: General de Gaulle's speech at the Hôtel de Ville

On August 25, 1944, back in Paris, Charles de Gaulle gave his famous speech "Paris outragé! Paris brisé! Paris martyrisé! mais Paris libéré!" at the Hôtel de Ville. An impromptu speech celebrating the city's liberation and calling for national unity.

Ephemeris of August 24 in Paris: The St Bartholomew's Day Massacre

On August 24, 1572, 4,000 Huguenots were brutally murdered in Paris during the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, the culmination of the Wars of Religion between Catholics and Protestants.

Ephemeris for August 22 in Paris: The theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum

On August 22, 1911, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa disappeared from the Musée du Louvre, under the noses of the guards. It was a shock. It would be another two years before Mona Lisa's smile could be seen again in sunny Florence.

Ephemeris for October 25 in Paris: Installation of the Luxor Obelisk on Place de la Concorde

On October 25, 1836, the Luxor Obelisk was erected in the center of the Place de la Concorde by order of King Louis-Philippe. Offered to France by the Viceroy of Egypt as a token of goodwill, the monolith arrived in Paris in 1833 after an incredible epic voyage on the waves.

Ephemeris of October 21 in Paris: The birth of the Comédie-Française

On October 21, 1680, the Comédie-Française was founded by order of King Louis XIV, the result of a merger between Molière's troupe and that of the Hôtel de Bourgogne. The sovereign's idea was simple: to put an end to the quarrels between the two rival troupes, while reaffirming royalty by promoting classical French theater, at a time when the Comédie-Italienne was very much in vogue.

History fact, October 22 in Paris: dramatic rail accident at the Montparnasse railway station

On October 22, 1895, a dramatic rail accident occurred at the Montparnasse railway station. The Paris-Granville train could not brake in time and ends us down the railway station which façade is mostly destroyed because of the violence of the impact.

Ephemeris of October 18 in Paris: The Closet Affair

On the night of October 18, 1534, Protestants plastered the streets of Paris with posters violently criticizing the Catholic mass. The Affaire des Placards marked a turning point in the confrontations between Catholics and Protestants, and signaled the end of Francis I's conciliation with the reformers.

Ephemeris of October 17: The massacre of Algerians thrown into the Seine

On October 17, 1961, a peaceful demonstration organized by the Front de Libération Nationale in support of Algerian independence was put down in bloodshed. In one night, between 30 and 250 Algerians were killed and thrown into the Seine.

Ephemeris for October 16 in Paris: Consecration of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre

On October 16, 1919, the Sacré-Coeur church in Montmartre was consecrated by Cardinal Vico and elevated to the rank of basilica, after 44 years of construction. Erected on the heights of the Butte Montmartre, this Romanesque-Byzantine religious edifice still fascinates as much as it horrifies some Parisians, who consider it to have been "built on the blood of the Communards".