1789

It all began with a place to sit.

In 1789, France was in crisis and called an assembly to decide the country's future.

In the hall, each group sat on one side. On the right sat the clergy, the nobility and the wealthiest, who supported the king and wanted to keep things as they were. On the left sat the representatives of the more common classes, who wanted change.

The names stuck, and the world still uses them today.