On this date in 1789, Parisians stormed the Bastille fortress/prison, freeing prisoners in an action that become symbolic of the birth of the modern nation.

Paris might host the main celebration, but folks in the Boston area are pretty happy too: Bastille Day this year marked the arrival of two new celebrities at the Franklin Park Zoo.

Samuel and Balthazar are Poitou donkeys, one of the oldest and rarest of donkey breeds in France, according to an article on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor.  

Some historians believe, based on ancient drawings, that Poitou donkeys existed when the Romans occupied France in the first century BC. However, numbers of the donkeys fell dramatically last century, and there are now believed to be fewer than 200 registered Poitou donkeys in the world. Learn more about Poitou donkeys