The first massively photographed insurrection, the Paris Commune, which began on March 18, 1871, revealed the extraordinary power of images, both close to reality and subtly manipulated.

At its peak, under Napoleon, the French territory was three times as large as it is today thanks to the emperor's very successful military campaigns. What was his secret?

How did Napoleon conquer and then lose nearly all of Europe in a span of just fifteen years? Find out in the second part of this series.

Josephine Baker, the legendary singer, actress, and cabaret dancer, played a very active role in World War Two in France. Using her celebrity as a cover, she helped with counterintelligence efforts during the French Resistance.

Josephine Baker was inducted into the Pantheon in recognition of her outstanding service during World War Two. Yet scholars have only just begun to study her contributions to the war effort.

How did Molière become so successful? The French playwright, whose plays are still being performed today, did not just rely on his talent as a writer—he knew how to drum up publicity for himself as well.

Molière wasn't afraid of his plays causing a scandal—in fact, he often orchestrated scandals in order to drum up publicity. Find out more about his marketing genius in this video.

In 2022, France experienced an unprecedented number of forest fires. This video explores whether we can really prevent them.

France has made it mandatory to train more firefighters to deal with the increase in forest fires caused by climate change. Unfortunately, they're already overworked and understaffed.

Paris trash collectors are expressing their concerns about the influx of tourists this summer during the Olympic Games as well as the extra amount of trash they will have to pick up.

Paris would be an entirely different city today if the architect Le Corbusier had carried out his ambitious project for the capital. But Minister of Culture André Malraux put a stop to this and set out to preserve the historic heritage of Paris by introducing a new law. Find out what Paris could have looked like in this video!

Tarte flambée is a specialty of the Alsace region of France that resembles a pizza. Typically made with crème fraîche, onions, and bacon, the traditional tarte flambée has also undergone many variations. Flam’s, a restaurant franchise based in Strasbourg, has dedicated itself to perfecting this Alsatian delicacy.

In this video, you will learn the history of the French flag. Once it was completely white, the color of the French royalty, and now it's blue, white, and red. The French flag has recently been tainted with controversy by nationalist groups who have appropriated it as a symbol of their own causes.

Patricia discusses the history of the the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise," explaining how the song traveled from the Rhine region to Marseille, where it earned its final name.
She even sings a few lines of the song for us!

Part two of this video on "La Marseillaise" explains how it evolved from a song of war and freedom to its current status as the French national anthem. The fact remains that it still stirs up controversy for its violent content, which some find offensive.