Of course, MONDAY is sunny and pleasant.

Today is the anniversary of the Women’s March on Versailles, which took place in 1789 and ended the king’s independence.

he march began among women in the marketplaces of Paris who, on the morning of 5 October 1789, were rioting over the high price of bread. The unrest quickly became intertwined with the activities of revolutionaries seeking liberal political reforms and a constitutional monarchy for France. The market women and their allies ultimately grew into a crowd of thousands. The crowd besieged the palace and, in a dramatic and violent confrontation, they successfully pressed their demands upon King Louis XVI. The very next day, the crowd forced the king and his family to return with them to Paris. Over the next few weeks, most of the French assembly also relocated to the capital.

The women’s march was a signal event of the French Revolution, with an effect on par with the fall of the Bastille. For posterity, the march is emblematic of the power of popular movements. It marked the end of the king’s resistance to the tide of reform; he made no further open attempts to push back the Revolution. The marathon course used at the 2024 Summer Olympics is based on a similar route taken by the women’s march.