Today, on National Bastille Day, France and many admirers of its rich history and culture around the globe celebrate one of the most significant events in French history. Bastille Day, or La Fête Nationale, commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison on July 14, 1789, a pivotal moment in the French Revolution that symbolized the end of the absolute monarchy and the birth of the citizen’s rights in France. The fall of the Bastille marked the uprising of the modern nation and the eventual rise of republican ideals, emphasizing liberty, equality, and fraternity.