France celebrates July 14 with huge fireworks display

Thousands came together in Paris on Thursday night to watch a grand fireworks display, the final spectacle of France’s national holiday, Bastille Day. For some it was a welcome distraction from the struggles of pandemic restrictions or anxiety over the war in Europe. Bastille Day marks the July 14, 1789, storming of the Bastille prison by angry Paris crowds that helped spark the French Revolution and by extension, a spirit of national unity, thanks to broad rights granted to citizens in the ensuing years. For all the protests and other tensions France has faced in recent years, the Bastille Day events offer a moment of togetherness and celebration.