During France’s growing season (April to July) in 1788, a ridge of high pressure prevailed throughout the region. As determined by extensive records kept by the Paris Astronomical Observatory, the air remained dry and hot, and the soil quickly became unsuitable for vegetation. In addition, the French peasants were ill-equipped for farming even under the best of circumstances. One historian noted that the "implements were hardly superior to those employed during the Middle Ages".

The storming of the Bastille, a political prison, on July 14, 1789, was a watershed event in the French Revolution. Ironically, although it was suspected that hundreds of political prisoners were held captive, only seven were discovered and liberated. Nonetheless, within a few short weeks, the Declaration of Rights and the abolishment of feudal obligations led to a new, though at times difficult, era in France’s history. Today, July 14 is celebrated as France’s national holiday of independence and is known worldwide as Bastille Day.

The peasant folk, which comprised 90% of the population of France, were forever poor as a consequence of a feudal system that required a payment of excessive dues to the nobility and the Church. The arid conditions during the spring of 178

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