Bastille Day

9 Stories

Paris Crowds Astonished by Man on Hoverboard

Inventor Franky Zapata wowed the crowds with his Flyboard

(Newser) - The Bastille prison was stormed via land in 1789 during the French Revolution. Sunday's commemoration of it involved the air in the most attention-grabbing of ways. French inventor Franky Zapata soared over astonished crowds in Paris on his turbine engine-powered Flyboard Air prior to the start of the military...

Trump: I Want 'Really Great' Parade on July 4

Bigger than the one he saw in France on Bastille Day, he says

(Newser) - Who doesn't love a parade? To a city that already offers many, President Trump wants to add one that showcases US military might. It would take place on July 4 in Washington with, as Trump envisions it, tanks and planes rolling down and streaking above Pennsylvania Avenue. Trump talked...

Macron: Trump 'Listened to Me' on Climate Change

Says Paris charm offensive was choreographed, might soften Trump's stance

(Newser) - French President Emmanuel Macron says his glamorous Paris charm offensive on President Trump was carefully calculated—and may have changed the US president's mind about climate change, reports the AP . Macron defended his outreach to Trump, whose "America first" policies have elicited worry and disdain in Europe. "...

Macron Treats Trump to Extravagant Bastille Day Parade

Celebration included US service members to mark 100 years since US entered WWI

(Newser) - Emmanuel Macron's first handshake with President Trump in May may have suggested a confrontational start, but the French president has pulled out all the stops for Trump's visit to his country. On Thursday, there was dinner in the Eiffel Tower , and on Friday, Trump was regaled with an...

Video Appears to Show 'Hero' Trying to Stop Truck in Nice

Motorcyclist, others seen chasing vehicle early

(Newser) - This video out of Nice, France, shows what appears to be people trying to stop a truck before it begins its rampage through crowds of people Thursday, reports Australia's 9News . It's difficult to make out exactly what's happening, but people—it's not clear whether they're...

77 Dead, Dozens Injured in Attack in Nice, France

A truck rammed into a large crowd leaving a Bastille Day celebration

(Newser) - Authorities say at least 77 people are dead and dozens more injured after a truck plowed into a Bastille Day celebration Thursday in Nice, France. Reuters reports the crowd was leaving holiday festivities at the Promenade des Anglais seaside walk when the truck hit it. The truck drove for more...

French Train Crash Blamed on Faulty Rail Joint

But officials are calling death toll preliminary pending removal of wreckage

(Newser) - An official says a faulty rail joint may have caused yesterday's train derailment outside Paris that left six people dead. Pierre Izard, an official with the SNCF rail company, told reporters that investigators found that the joint had moved from its normal position. Officials said that another train had...

300 Cars Torched in Bastille Day Riots

(Newser) - France's celebration of the 320th anniversary of rioters storming the Bastille was marred by major riots, Der Speigel reports. Over 300 cars were torched in cities across the country, and hundreds of arrests were made as youths hurled home-made explosives at police, injuring several officers. Authorities say the number of...

Pan-European Bastille Day 2007
Pan-European Bastille Day 2007

Pan-European Bastille Day 2007

(Newser) - France celebrated Bastille Day for the 127th time today, with a particularly eclectic celebration, as troops from all 27 EU nations marched in the parade down the Champs-Elysees.  It is also the first Bastille Day held since Nicolas Sarkozy became president and, as a tough-on-crime rightist, refused to to...

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