Contributor blog post by Margo Lestz:

It took a Revolution

France’s rousing national anthem, the Marseillaise, was written during the French Revolution. In 1792 the Revolution was in full swing, and all the monarchies of Europe were nervous. It made them uneasy to see people rise up against a king, and it was in their best interest to put a stop to all that revolutionary ruckus lest their own subjects decide to do away with them too.

…Continue reading here to learn how why on April 25, 1792, France declared war on Austria. A young Captain Rouget de Lisle was given the task of coming up with a replacement national anthem for “Ça ira, ça ira.” (It Will Be Fine, It Will Be Fine). Could he make the song inspiring, rousing, patriotic and do so by demain (tomorrow)? The rest is history, although he might have pulled an allnighter La Marseillaise eventually became the French national anthem.