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KF5JRV > TODAY 08.07.20 11:32z 42 Lines 2172 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Today in History - Jul 08
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Sent: 200708/1128Z 53419@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQ6.0.20
On July 8, 1951, Paris, the capital city of France, celebrates turning
2,000 years old. In fact, a few more candles would’ve technically
been required on the birthday cake, as the City of Lights was
most likely founded around 250 B.C.
The history of Paris can be traced back to a Gallic tribe known
as the Parisii, who sometime around 250 B.C. settled an island
(known today as Ile de la Cite) in the Seine River, which runs
through present-day Paris. By 52 B.C., Julius Caesar and the
Romans had taken over the area, which eventually became
Christianized and known as Lutetia, Latin for “midwater dwelling.ö
The settlement later spread to both the left and right banks
of the Seine and the name Lutetia was replaced with “Paris.ö
In 987 A.D., Paris became the capital of France. As the city
grew, the Left Bank earned a reputation as the intellectual
district while the Right Bank became known for business.
During the French Renaissance period, from the late 15th century
to the early 17th century, Paris became a center of art,
architecture and science. In the mid-1800s, Napoleon III hired
civic planner Georges-Eugene Hausmann to modernize Paris.
Hausmann’s designs gave the city wide, tree-lined boulevards,
large public parks, a new sewer system and other public works
projects. The city continued to develop as an important hub for
the arts and culture. In the 1860s, an artistic movement known
as French Impression emerged, featuring the work of a group
of Paris-based artists that included Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste
Renoir.
Today, Paris is home to some 2 million residents, with an additional
10 million people living in the surrounding metropolitan area. The
city retains its reputation as a center for food, fashion, commerce
and culture. Paris also continues to be one of the world’s most
popular tourist destinations, renowned for such sights as the
Eiffel Tower (built in 1889 to commemorate the 100th anniversary
of the French Revolution), the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysees,
Notre Dame Cathedral (built in 1163), Luxembourg Gardens and the
Louvre Museum, home to Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “Mona Lisa.ö
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