Learn about the birth of democracy in ancient Greece and watch a scene from Sophocles's famous tragedy, Antigone, in the next installment of Il était une fois....

Il était une fois... ("Once Upon a Time...") takes us back to the origins of Western civilization on the island of Crete. This lively animated series is for French learners of all ages!

The first electric car? 1899! La Jamais contente. This car and other rare self-propelled antique vehicles can now be seen in car museums.

Lazare Ponticelli was the last of the “Poilus” — French infantry soldiers who served in World War I. Ponticelli, who was actually an Italian immigrant to France, first served in the French Foreign Legion and then eventually, the Italian army. He died in 2008 at the age of 110.

What is the best way to explain the horrors of the Holocaust to nine-year-old children? France’s Holocaust memorial has taken measures to avoid disturbing children by placing the most graphic photographs out of their line of sight and by offering a tour specifically designed for younger viewers. The idea is for children to learn about this dark moment in our history without being overwhelmed.

On the 9th of November, 1989, the wall that divided the German city of Berlin began to fall along with the East German state that built it. Claudia Rusch, a young Francophile, was one of the first to scramble over what remained of the divide, meeting up with a French friend on the western side. She’s recently recounted her story in a book, which is a best-seller in her native Germany.

The Malgré-nous (Despite Ourselves) are the roughly 130,000 young Alsatians from Lorraine, many of them recruited by force, who served under the Nazis during World War II.

The Oradour-sur-Glane massacre took place over a half a century ago, but France still remembers.

Sixty years after the disappearance of literary great Saint-Exupéry, a commemoration is held on the Mediterranean Sea at the spot where his airplane fell.

Patricia discusses the various ways zeppelins were used in the twentieth century, as well as what led to their downfall.

Humanity has always dreamed of flying through the air. That dream was made possible with the arrival of the zeppelin at the end of the nineteenth century.

In centuries past, when a person's honor was offended, he would challenge the culprit to a duel. The last duel in France took place as recently as 1967, between two respected politicians!

Professor Joseph Melone stresses the importance of sources in historical research. He also makes the disputed claim that Shakespeare never existed. Whether you believe that or not, his message is clear: check your sources!

Professor Joseph Malone share his thoughts on his research on western colonization in Africa. What he discovered was not at all what he expected.

Nice's Jetée-Promenade is the site of a former casino by that name. Built on pilings over the sea, the original building was once a thriving casino attracting many tourists, especially British tourists who flocked to the Riviera.

In this video on Nice, Patricia explains the history of the city, its Italian heritage, and its typically French atmosphere.

The first of April is the day of hoaxes, pranks, and jokes. In France, the tradition is to hang paper fish on people's backs and shout, "Poisson d'avril!" (April Fish!).

Patricia explains the importance of dictation exercises for learning French. Now an essential teaching tool in the classroom, dictation was originally a pastime for French nobility. The author Prosper Mérimée created a dictation exercise for Empress Eugénie that stumped even the brightest intellectuals. Think you can beat them? Try it yourself here.

Patricia continues her series on the feast of Candlemas, which in France is centered around the crêpe. Due to its round shape and golden color, the crêpe was a symbol of the sun in pagan times.

It took two hundred years to standardize French spelling before it could be taught in schools using a method called la dictée (dictation), in which a student writes out the words he or she hears. As a matter of fact, this is the exact same principle behind Yabla's Scribe game!

Patricia delves into the festival of la Chandeleur, or Candlemas, which takes place on the second of February. In France, la Chandeleur is traditionally celebrated by eating crêpes.

Patricia explains in detail the tradition of the galette des rois (kings' cake), which predates Christianity. The tradition is linked to a Roman pagan celebration called Saturnalia, during which a lucky slave was crowned "king" for the day.

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 video takes an in-depth look at the curious French idiom mener une vie de bâton de chaise (to lead a chair-pole life). Though the life of a chair pole might not seem very interesting, the history behind the idiom certainly is!