Have you ever heard of the Minitel? In this video, you'll discover vintage technology from the seventies and eighties. Though once state of the art, the poor Minitel is now gathering dust in people's attics...

Back in the 80s, nearly every French household had a Minitel. It was the first computerized directory of its kind and a precursor to the modern computer. Later on, even Google showed an interest in the Minitel archives. Find out how advanced it was in its day.

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.

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 New Caledonia, the last French colony, two societies continue to coexist: the descendants of the white colonists known as "Caldoches," and the native Kanaks, whose numbers were decimated by the colonists beginning in 1853.

In 1988, New Caledonia was on the verge of a civil war as the native population, the Kanaks, rebelled against economic injustice and demanded their independence. A violent incident on the island of Ouvéa prompted the French government to intervene and even bring in a SWAT team. More violence ensued as negotiations failed.

New Caledonia is still part of France and has not gained its independence despite lenghthy negotiations between loyalists and separatists. Now that the Kanak population is a minority, independence seems unlikely. For more info on New Caledonia, check out these links: https://bit.ly/3cnZgzs, https://bit.ly/2EWfOBG, https://bit.ly/2SyqOrw.

Where does Santa Claus come from? Santa's history begins in the third century in the city of Myra in Turkey, then to the Netherlands, then finally to America and back to Europe. But where Santa lives still remains a mystery...

The Paris Commune was one of the first extensively photographed revolutionary movements. In its infancy, photography wasn't able to capture motion, but professionals from both sides understood the power of images and used them to convey their own visions of the events.

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.

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.

In 1983, the Marche des Beurs highlighted the problem of anti-Arab racism in France. Forty years on, the country is still feeling its effects.

On October 15, 1983, a dozen people set out from Marseille to march against racism and police violence. En route to Paris, they met many people who, to their surprise, were sympathetic to their cause.

In 1983, the murder of an Algerian immigrant on a train galvanized a massive anti-racism protest that led to significant government reforms. But racism remains a serious problem in France to this day.

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

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.

Patricia takes a close look at some old French laws that are still on the books but no longer enforced. For example, it's technically forbidden to name one's pig "Napoleon."

Patricia has unearthed some very interesting, obscure French laws. For example: "Any woman wishing to dress like a man must request permission from the police department." Thankfully, no one obeys these antiquated laws!

Gérard tells us about the history of Antibes, from the time of Julius Caesar to the construction of the city walls and the Fort Carré.

Gérard explains the development of Antibes culminating in the creation of Sophia Antipolis, a kind of science park that changed the face of the city and created a traffic nightmare.