Bastille Day: how it began

On July 14, 1789, the people of Paris stormed the Bastille, an old royal fortress used as a prison and a symbol of the monarchic regime.
The following year, an impressive parade, known as the Fête de la Fédération, was held to celebrate the first anniversary of the insurrection of Paris. Yet, the commemoration of Bastille Day was discontinued in the following years.
It is only in 1880 that it was officially revived as France 's national day by the leaders of the Third Republic who were in search of symbolic ways to stabilize the foundations of the Republic.


Left: The storming of the Bastille by JB Lallemand - Musée Carnavalet, Paris.
Right: Fête de la Fédération July 14, 1790 - Centre historique des Archives nationales

More info here on the symbols of the French Republic and Bastille Day by the French Ministry of Foreign affairs.