The Champ de Mars is a large public green space in Paris, France, located in the 7th arrondissement, beneath the Eiffel Tower to the northwest and the Ecole Militaire to the southwest. As the grounds were once used as drilling and marching grounds for the French Army after the construction of the Ecole Militaire in 1765, the field was named after the Campus Martius ("Field of Mars") in Rome, a tribute to the Roman god of war. On 27 August 1783, the world's first hydrogen-filled balloon was launched from the Champ de Mars, with Benjamin Franklin sitting in attendance. The Champ de Mars was the site of the first Fete de la Federation (Bastille Day) celebration on 14 July 1790, as well as the 17 July 1791 Champ de Mars massacre, which led to Mayor Jean Sylvain Bailly being guillotined at the site of the massacre on 12 November 1793 during the Reign of Terror. The Champ de Mars was also the site of the Festival of the Supreme Being on 8 June 1794 and a 1 June 1815 festival where Napoleon I swore to uphold the Charter of 1815. The Universal Expositions of 1867, 1878, 1889, 1900, and 1937 were hosted at the Champ de Mars.
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