FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2024-141

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (July 30, 2024) – In this edition of Fun with Maps we celebrate music with a military march turned national anthem.

La Marseillaise

Starting out as a troops’ marching song on July 30, 1792, after France declared war on Austria, La Marseillaise soon became France’s national anthem in 1795.

There are plenty of references to blood, especially that of the enemy in this stirring song.  Not surprising, given its military start.

However, if your blood is spilled in a conflict, you can gain a very unique benefit in one country.  France of course.  

That benefit is citizenship. 

There is an unusual branch of the French military, the French Foreign Legion.  They are made up entirely of foreigners, many with past problems and dubious history.  This legion, however, has been shaped into an elite fighting force.  France used them historically in their colonies in Africa and beyond.

Only the French.

Here is a map of the French colonies from about 1900.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.