<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Casualties and losses </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> One (six or possibly eight killed after surrender) </Td> <Td> 98 </Td> </Tr> <P> The Storming of the Bastille (French: Prise de la Bastille (pʁiz də la bastij)) occurred in Paris, France, on the afternoon of 14 July 1789 . The medieval fortress, armory, and political prison in Paris known as the Bastille represented royal authority in the center of Paris . The prison contained just seven inmates at the time of its storming but was a symbol of abuses by the monarchy; its fall was the flashpoint of the French Revolution . </P> <P> In France, Le quatorze juillet (14 July) is a public holiday, usually called Bastille Day in English . </P>

What was the significance of the storming of bastille