Siege of Paris Begins: Franco-Prussian War Traps 2 Million
Paris in September 1870 had a population of about 2 million people and roughly 60 days of food. Prussian forces completed their encirclement on September 19, and the city's defenders tried everything — sorties, carrier pigeons, even balloons to get messages out. The siege lasted 132 days. By the end, Parisians were eating the animals from the zoo, including the elephants Castor and Pollux. France signed an armistice on January 28, 1871, ceding Alsace-Lorraine and paying five billion francs in reparations — terms that would echo into the next century.
September 19, 1870
156 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on September 19
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