On July 19, 1925, the legendary entertainer Josephine Baker made her Paris debut at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in the revue La Revue Nègre. This performance marked the beginning of her rise to international fame.

Baker captivated audiences with her charismatic stage presence, daring dance moves, and signature banana skirt in her famous “Danse Sauvage.” She quickly became a symbol of the Jazz Age in France, gaining immense popularity and later becoming a French citizen.

Beyond entertainment, Baker was also a civil rights activist, a member of the French Resistance during World War II, and a humanitarian. She was the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture (Siren of the Tropics, 1927) and later became a vocal advocate for racial equality.

Her influence was so profound that in 2021, she became the first Black woman inducted into the Panthéon in Paris, France’s highest honor for national figures.