Rhinoceros of Versailles Rhinoceros of Versailles The Rhinoceros of Versailles was a living Indian rhinoceros which was kept in the Palace of Versailles menagerie from 1770 until 1793. The live rhinoceros was a gift from M. Chevalier, French governor of Chandernagor, to Louis XV. It left Calcutta, West Bengal on 22 December 1769, and arrived six months later in the seaport of Lorient, in Brittany on 11 June 1770. From there it was transported to the royal Ménagerie which had been built in response to increasing interest in zoology and Louis XIV's passion for the exotic, in 1664. The rhino was installed in
1978 Palace of Versailles bombing 1978 Palace of Versailles bombing The Palace of Versailles bombing took place around 2:30 am on Monday 26 June 1978 when terrorists belonging to the Breton Liberation Front (FLB) detonated a powerful bomb at the historic palace in Versailles, near Paris, France. The explosion occurred on the ground floor of the left wing of the palace and caused damage within an 80 metres radius. Many statues and priceless paintings were damaged, including an entire gallery and several pieces of Napoleonic art, and a wide hole was opened on the ceiling. Millions of francs in damages were caused by it. The