Paris Olympics – “Laissez les Bons temps rouler” et émission de radio

France’s famed capital city, Paris, will be home to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games held from July 26 to Aug. 11. It will then host the Paralympic Games from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8. Known for its iconic sites such as the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame Cathedral, the city has captured the hearts of countless writers, artists, and musicians over the years. But there’s more to Paris than first meets the eye.

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On Monday July 29, 2024, at 8:00 AM ( Alaska Time), on our local public radio show celebrates the Paris Olympics as we lay our own French- Cajun tribute with Zydeco and Louisiana Blues. Listen live on102.7fm, or 103.1fm. or https://www.ktoo.org/listen/krnn/

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Paris has hosted the Olympics twice before Paris hosted the Olympic Games in 1900 and 1924. The Olympic Games were inaugurated in 1896, but Paris hosting in 1924 marked a major turn in the event’s popularity. According to the official Olympics website: “ The number of participating National Olympic Committees jumped from 29 to 44. This newfound popularity was confirmed by the presence of over 1,000 journalists.” 

The park outside the Eiffel Tower has a bloody history Known as the Champ de Mars, the park outside the Eiffel Tower is Paris’ largest public green space. But the iconic tourist attraction was once used as drilling and marching grounds for the French military. In fact, that’s how the park got its name, which translates in English to “Field of Mars,” the Roman god of war. The area also became a bloody sight during the French Revolution, when a crowd clashed with the city’s national guard in 1791, leading to at least 13 deaths according to WorldHistory.org.

Paris is not the city’s original name The first name for the settlement along the Seine was actually Lutetia, which means “midwater-dwelling” in Latin. It was inhabited by a Gallic tribe called the Parisii before being conquered by the Roman Empire in the first century. It wasn’t until the early fourth century that it began being referred to as Paris, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

The city is home to 6 million preserved skeletons Underneath the city lies a tourist attraction referred to as “the catacombs.” The collection of human remains began at the end of the eighteenth century, when government officials became worried that local cemeteries were creating public health problems for the city. The government instead decided to transfer the human remains into tunnels underneath the city, piling the bones so that they filled up the space.

The international prototype of the kilogram is located in Paris Paris is home to the prototype created for standardizing the metric system for measuring weight–the kilogram. Made of platinum-iridium in 1889, it is the standard for which all kilograms are based off. It is stored in the International Bureau of Weights and Measures’ vault in the western suburb of Saint-Cloud in Paris. 

The Louvre is the world’s most visited museum The Louvre is a museum in Paris which is home to some of the world’s most famous works of art including the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and The Raft of Medusa. Per the museum’s website, it received 8.9 million visitors in 2023, making it the most popular museum in the world according to The Art Newspaper.

The Bastille prison no longer exists Bastille prison, which was famously stormed on July 14, 1789, kickstarting the Frenc Revolution, was demolished by the revolutionary government shortly thereafter. However, those interested in the history of the revolution can still see remnants of the prison’s walls on display in Square Henri Galli, a park located in central Paris. 

SOURCE: Time Magazine