The Taking of the Bastille, July 14, 1789 The French Revolution began on July 14, 1789, when a group of angry Parisians attacked a royal prison on the east side of the city, known as the Bastille. Although only seven prisoners were being held at the time, the prison had become a symbol of despotic rule.
(The Taking of the Bastille, 14 July 1789/French School/Château de Versailles, France/Bridgeman Images)