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 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.

Director Ridley Scott's recently released movie Napoleon was never intended to be historically accurate. Find out where the movie departs from the facts.

In part 2 of this review of Ridley Scott's Napoleon, we learn why Napoleon really left the island of Elba and how he dealt with the death of his wife Josephine.

In May 2000, Luc Vanrell discovered the P Thirty-Eight Lightning aircraft piloted by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, which was last seen on July 31, 1944. His colleague Philippe Castellano explains how the plane was identified.

In part 2 of this video on the disappearance of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, you will find out how the remains of his plane were located and retrieved from the bottom of the sea.

In the French town of Lantages, a group of history buffs and other volunteers reenact a series of World War II battles from the years 1940 and 1944. Their equipment and clothing are authentic to the period, which helps to preserve that memory of that difficult time.

Jamy will share some interesting and surprising facts about the history of the Olympic Games. Did you know that a Frenchman named Pierre de Coubertin started the modern Olympics in 1896?

We continue our tour of the Olympic Games through the ages. Do you know when the Winter and Summer Olympics and the Paralympics were introduced? Watch this video and find out all kinds of interesting facts.

In the first episode of this new cartoon series, Once Upon a Time... Planet Earth, deforestation issues are addressed from outer space... Just grow a few trees in a spaceship and plant them on land later!

The Maestro tells his students about the famous "Biosphere" project in Arizona, the largest enclosed ecological system in the world.

These young people want to do their part for the planet. Under the Maestro's supervision, they prepare a butterfly garden after learning that butterflies are an endangered species.

The Maestro surpervises the building of a pond for the butterfly garden. Everything goes according to plan, despite the work of a few practical jokesters.

In the next segment of this Il était une fois... episode on ecosystems, the Maestro teaches us how to build a butterfly garden. You can build one anywhere—even on your apartment balcony!

In this episode on the ecosystems, guide Nam explains the importance of mangroves in the food chain. You'll also see the rafflesia, the largest flower in the world.