Tag Archives: french history
Remembrances Posted by Tim Hildreth on Nov 16, 2021
World War I ended over 100 years ago. This year’s celebrations of the 103rd anniversary of the Armistice included a special tribute to a hero from a later conflict, World War II. Hubert Germain, compagnon de la Libération Hubert Germain, who passed away earlier in October, was the last living member of the ordre de…
A French Geography Lesson Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jul 6, 2021
As vacation season arrives – in this very strange (almost, hopefully!) post-Covid world – it seemed like a good to time to trot out some useful vocabulary. So this week it’s time for a French geography lesson. A French Geography Lesson With apologies to anyone who associates geography lessons with school, the common terms below…
French History – Flights of Fancy Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 1, 2020
Current travel restrictions have kept me grounded, but I have to say, I love to fly. And while the U.S. and the Wright Brothers claim “first in flight”, France has its share of honors to celebrate in aviation. Un avion sur les toits In doing some follow up research to last week’s post, I learned…
French History – More monarchs Posted by Tim Hildreth on May 26, 2020
The French Revolution of 1789 brought about enormous changes and laid the foundations for the France that we know today. It also ended the reign of Louis XVI and his reine (queen) Marie Antoinette. But … it didn’t end the monarchy in France! Un empereur, trois rois, et un autre empereur! Before France would bid…
French History – Shaking Things Up Posted by Tim Hildreth on May 19, 2020
The French have had more than their share of revolutions. They’ve never had a problem when things weren’t working, just scrapping it all and starting over. There’s a reason that the current political administration is the Ve République (Fifth Republic). Une histoire révolutionnaire / A revolutionay history Most students of French language and culture are familiar with…
French Culture – Explore Posted by Tim Hildreth on Apr 7, 2020
Malheureusement (Sadly) the world is still at home. If you are one of the many people still looking at the world from inside the safety of your own home, I hope this week’s blog will being you a little divertissement (diversion) and un peu d’espoir (a little hope). On reste à la maison … If you are staying at…
French History – World War I bis Posted by Tim Hildreth on Nov 27, 2018
Last week I shared a short excerpt from the Bulletin de Lille, a biweekly paper printed under the direction of the German Command in Lille. I love how the exchange illustrates the delicate dance between occupied and occupier that can arise in such situations. This week we look at a another except that highlights another…