It’s impressive enough that eyewitness accounts of the Storming of the Bastille are still around, but that one of the siege’s best chroniclers was our own Thomas Jefferson—who was then serving as U.S. Minister to France—is stupendous. (I just assume he spent that whole week in Paris crouched and hidden and furiously taking notes, like Robert Redford in “All The President’s Men.”) (And George Washington = Jason Robards.) Reading ‘em, though, reveals some crazy details. Like corn! Apparently, in between the revolts and fires and beheadings, the scoring of—and responsible selling of—corn suddenly became a really serious deal. (See July 13.)