All Roads Lead to...Paris

On July 8, 1951, Parisians had a big wild party (as opposed to their usual practice of having many small elegant parties) because they thought (perhaps wrongly) that their beloved city had turned 2,000 years old. When cities get that old, it's a bit hard to pin down an exact founding date.

Here's the story in brief: a Gallic* tribe known as the Parisii sometime around 250 B.C. settled an island (known today as Ile de la Cite) in the Seine river. By 52 B.C., the Romans had taken over the area, which became Christianized and was called Lutetia, Latin for “midwater dwelling.” The settlement spread from the island to both banks of the Seine and the name changed to Paris (French for "Paris"). In 987 A.D., Paris became the capital of France. As the city grew, the Left Bank earned a reputation as the intellectual and artistic district while the Right Bank became known for business.

Today is also the birthday (1948) of the musician who calls himself Raffi. He sometimes sings in French.

Raffi was popular in our house a few decades ago. We may still have some Raffi cassette tapes. Oh, the days of innocence...

* Do not confuse the Gallic tribes with their cousins the Garlic Tribes. The Garlic tribes were more nomadic because they and their distinctive odor were unwelcome in many places.