France

A Journey to St. Helena, Home of Napoleon’s Last Days

We crossed the globe to the tiny, remote island to sample the splendid desolation of the emperor’s exile under a scornful British governor

April 2019

How 18th-Century Writers Created the Genre of Popular Science

French writers such as Voltaire and Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle helped shape the Enlightenment with stories of science

February 13, 2019

Explore France’s Loire Valley in the Footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci

Five centuries after his death, visitors can pay homage to the artist at these sites in central France where he spent his final years

February 12, 2019

What to Expect for ‘D-Day 75’

Preparations for the 75th anniversary of D-Day are already underway, and will include the flight of 30 Douglas C-47 Skytrains

February 1, 2019

Interactive Map Renders Women’s Cultural Contributions to French Capital Visible

The evolving project highlights landmarks in Paris that were “financed, imagined or made by women”

January 30, 2019

History of Now

How a Jewish Teenager Went From Refugee to Assassin to Puppet of Nazi Propaganda

Herschel Grynszpan wanted to avenge the crimes committed against European Jews. Instead, his actions were used as a justification for Kristallnacht

January 9, 2019

Why Are Starfish Shaped Like Stars and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

January 2019

Trending Today

Was the World’s Oldest Person Ever Actually Her 99-Year-Old Daughter?

Jeanne Calment made history when she died at the age of 122 in 1997, but a new investigation claims her daughter actually assumed her identity in 1934

January 2, 2019

Museum to Be Built at Site of Nazi-Occupied France’s First Concentration Camp

Some 16,000 Jews were detained at Pithiviers and neighboring Beaune-la-Rolande before being sent to death camps

December 28, 2018

Arc de Triomphe to Reopen After Being Vandalized During ‘Yellow Vest’ Protests

Demonstrators sprayed the famed monument with graffiti and ransacked its small museum

December 11, 2018

French Report Recommends the Full Restitution of Looted African Artworks

The report was commissioned by President Emmanuel Macron, who has advocated for repatriation

November 21, 2018

How Voltaire Went from Bastille Prisoner to Famous Playwright

Three hundred years ago this week, the French philosopher and writer began his career with a popular retelling of Sophocles’ ‘Oedipus’

November 20, 2018

Step Into Claude Monet’s World With This Immersive VR Exploration of ‘Water Lilies’

New VR experience whisks participants from Paris museum to Impressionist’s Giverny garden and studio

November 19, 2018

Cool Finds

It’s True: Ancient Gauls Embalmed the Severed Heads of Their Enemies

Chemical analysis shows that ancient accounts of the warriors preserving heads using pine resin are accurate

November 12, 2018

Cool Finds

To Mourn Beloved, 17-Year-Old Cat, Artist Made Genre-Spanning, Star-Studded Tribute Album

Pharrell, Bono, Laurie Anderson, Michael Stipe, The National and others penned songs for Souris, artist Sophie Calle’s animal companion

October 18, 2018

Landmark Exhibition Brings Victor Hugo’s Forgotten Drawings Into Focus

The famed French author produced some 4,000 brooding, tempestuous artworks during his lifetime

October 3, 2018

Poster From One of the Earliest Public Movie Screenings Is Heading to Auction

The artwork advertised the Lumière brothers’ pioneering Cinématographe

August 21, 2018

A French Theme Park Taught Crows To Pick Up Trash

Park hopes that its avian garbage collectors will encourage humans to properly discard their rubbish

August 14, 2018

Trending Today

Joël Robuchon, the World’s Most Michelin-Starred Chef Who Transformed the Mashed Potato

The French chef turned the focus of fine cuisine toward simplicity and flavor

August 7, 2018

Europe

The Parisian Bistro Is Disappearing

And one bistro owner is on a mission to save them

July 12, 2018