Did you know that the guillotine was still used when the film Star Wars (1977) was released? Perhaps you didn't know that the French celebrate nearly a dozen national holidays each year? Perhaps you knew that about a third to half of basic English words are derived from French words, including but not limited to: surf, see, strive, challenge, pride and war? As you can see from the information above, France has a long and complicated history, during which its advanced military, culture and holidays have developed significantly. Imagine being forced to lie horizontally and look out toward the masses of people. that surrounds you. You try to look up, but the wooden restraints around your neck hold you to the ground. The only thing you can see is the blue sky, and just floating at the edges of your peripheral vision, the faint reflection of the incredibly shiny and heavy metal blade hanging about fourteen feet above your head. When you hear the crack of the rope holding your life in place, you start to sweat. This led to the death of King Louis XVI and many others who fell under the mighty power of the French army. These individuals were executed by one of the most powerful death machines of the time: the infamous guillotine. According to the article "Headbutt - History of the Guillotine", it took approximately one seventieth of a second for the guillotine to fall from its peak to its nadir (a distance which was even fourteen feet on average). while the actual decapitation took only a tiny two hundredths of a second. The speed of a guillotine was about twenty-one feet per second. Despite this apparent speed, these executions were apparently far from the middle of paper, indeed, for it was the day Germany surrendered and the war ended. That day, there is a minute of silence but no military parade. Another holiday that celebrates the end of a war is May 8 or Victoire 1945, which admires the end of World War II and another victory for the French. People attend parades, sing patriotic songs, hang the national flag throughout the country, and sometimes remember those who died serving France during the war. Thanks to these national days which remember wars, the French can pay tribute to the dead. In conclusion, French culture is one that has diversified over the years, particularly in the fields: military, cultural and holidays. This can be demonstrated through the great heritage and history that the French have left behind over the years and continue to produce today..