Funding and feedback by salon patrons encouraged philosophers to put their ideas on paper.

• In 1748, Montesquieu published Spirit of the Laws, which advocated a separation of governmental powers.
• In 1751, Diderot helped create the Encyclopédie, among the fir...

• Paris became among the first cities to install gas street lighting in the 19th century.
• During the19th century artistic achievements reached new highs with marvels such as the Eiffel Tower, impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces.

In the 18th century, intellectual discourse moved from universities to coffeehouses and salons where debate of politics and philosophy took place.

Here, nobles and other wealthy financiers intermingled with artists, writers, and philosophers seeking patronage and o...

Paris is France's capital. With over two million residents, it is the most populous city today.

Since the 17th century, Paris continues to serve as a significant centre of diplomacy, commerce, high fashion, cuisine, science, and the arts. It is known as a top tourist destination, famed for...

• Paris began as a small settlement on the Seine river banks. Paris gets its name from the Parisii, an Iron Age Celtic tribe, who fortified the area around 225BCE.
• In 52 BCE, the Romans conquered the site and named it March of the Parisii.
• By the 5th century CE, the Franks t...