Two things that make the 2017 French National Day special

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Europe

Friday marked the France's National Day, also known as the "Bastille Day", but events in honor of July 14 are different this year.

US President Donald Trump was invited to attend a military parade in Paris and French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to travel to Nice for the first anniversary of the deadly truck attack that killed 86 people.

Centenary of the US entering WWI

On Friday, Macron, who oversaw his first Bastille Day celebrations as French president, attended the military parade alongside Trump to showcase their warming relations.

US Air Force Thunderbirds fly over the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel during the traditional Bastille Day military parade in Paris, France, July 14, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The parade on Paris's Champs-Elysees commemorated the centenary of the US entering the First World War in 1917 and featured 63 planes, 29 helicopters, 241 horses and 3,720 soldiers.

The occasion, also featuring a bi-national fly-past of fighter jets symbolizing present day military cooperation in the Middle East and elsewhere, will be followed by a day of talks between Macron and Trump, a first ladies' tour of Paris, and a dinner for the foursome at a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower.

It brings to an end a visit Macron needs as a boost to France's standing on the world stage — one which could also help a US leader left short of international friends by his stances on free trade and climate change.

French President Emmanuel Macron (R2, front), his wife Brigitte Macron (R1, front), US President Donald Trump (L3, front) and First Lady Melania Trump (L2, front) attend the traditional Bastille Day military parade in Paris, France, July 14, 2017. /Reuters Photo

"This is a wonderful national celebration," said Trump during a joint news conference with Macron on Thursday, adding, "we look very much forward to it. Spectacular."

"Our two nations are forever joined together by the spirit of revolution and the fight for freedom," said Trump.

Macron rolled out the red carpet for Trump's two-day visit, hoping to improve relations and persuade the US president to change his mind about withdrawing from the global Paris agreement on climate change.

A French Renault FT-17 Tank of World War I during the traditional Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, France, July 14, 2017. /Reuters Photo

First anniversary of Nice attack

After the Paris military parade, Macron will fly to southern French city Nice to commemorate a deadly truck attack which happened a year ago.

Last year, a Tunisian man drove a truck into a crowd on the Promenade des Anglais after a fireworks display, killing 86 people and injuring 450.

Instead of the usual fireworks display this year on the seafront, there will be candles, a memory book and a solemn speech by Macron.

Armed French soldiers patrol along the Promenade des Anglais on the eve of the memorial ceremony of the July 14 fatal truck attack in Nice, France, July 13, 2017. /VCG Photo

France has been under a state of emergency since November 2015, when 130 people were slaughtered in a wave of coordinated violence across Paris, with French lawmakers voting last week to extend it for the sixth time.

239 people have been killed in eight terror attacks in France since January 2015.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said seven terror plots have been foiled since the start of this year.

More than 130,000 security and emergency service workers have been deployed to protect revelers during this year's Bastille Day celebrations, according to figures from France's Interior Ministry.

About Bastille Day

France's National Day commemorates the beginning of the French Revolution on July 14, 1789, when angry residents in Paris stormed the Bastille, a military fortress, freed prisoners held inside and seized weapons in the most defiant stance towards French King Louis XVI.

The Bastille prison, where opponents of the monarchy were kept, was targeted for symbolizing royal rule.

The revolution led to the fall of the French monarchy and the execution of Louis XVI, shaping the course of modern history in France and Europe to a great extent.

Held each year on July 14 since 1880, the Bastille Day parade is among the oldest regular military parades in the world.

(With input from AFP, Reuters and Xinhua)