Nelly remembers vividly what she was doing on the day she learned that Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris had gone up in flames.

Patricia discusses the galette des rois (kings' cake), a classic holiday delicacy associated with the festival of Epiphany. A small figurine is placed inside the cake, and whoever finds it in his or her slice is crowned "king" or "queen" for the day.

This last part of the Il était une fois episode on George Stephenson deals with the Rainhill Trials, a competition that determined what kind of trains (steam engines or locomotives) would be used on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Stephenson proves to be the best competitor.

What was life like for the poilus, the French soldiers of World War I? In sum, much, much harder than our lives. Subjected to bullets, bombs, death, and all the atrocities of war, these soldiers fought bitterly to protect their homeland, and one another.