It is no coincidence the Tour de France takes place around this time of year. Tomorrow, July 14th, is Bastille Day, the highlight of the French holiday season, and a day that commemorates a turning point in French history, and indeed in the history of the world - the fall of the Bastille in Paris in 1789.
But when did the great Revolution all begin? Some would argue that the violence of those momentous years can be traced to an unusual meteorological event which occurred 210 years ago today. The Great Hailstorm of Paris, a shower of hailstones of unprecedented ferocity, occurred on July 13th, 1788, and the hardships which ensued in the vicinity of the French capital did much to inflame the anger of a hungry populace.
Weather reports came from unlikely sources. The storm was of such proportions that a few days later the British ambassador to France at the time, Lord Dorset, sent a comprehensive description of it to his Foreign Secretary in London :
"A storm of thunder, lightning and hail experienced in the environs of Paris last Sunday morning was uncommonly violent and has done much mischief in those parts where its force was felt. The hailstones that fell were of a size and weight never heard of before in this country, some of them measuring 16 inches in circumference, and in some places, it is said they were even much larger. Not so far from St Germain two men were found dead upon the road, and a horse was so much bruised that it was determined to kill him from a motive of humanity to put an end to his misery.
"The noise that was heard in the air previous to the falling of the immense hailstones is said to have been, beyond all description, dreadful. It is impossible to give expression in detail to the damage that has been done. Some of the largest trees were torn up by the roots, all the corn and vines destroyed, windows broken and even some houses broken down. It is computed that from twelve to 1,500 villages have suffered more or less damage."
The weather had already been unkind for some considerable time. Drought was a recurring problem throughout the 18th century in France, and as the price of grain and bread increased, civil disturbances grew commonplace throughout the kingdom. The hailstorm of July 1788 may well have been the last straw; it dramatically worsened the serious condition of the peasantry near Paris, and exacerbated the seething discontent which was to lead ultimately to the fall of the Bastille a year later.