At the base of the Arc de Triomphe is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.
The inscription reads (English translation), "Here lies a French soldier who died for his
fatherland 1914–1918." The Eternal Flame of the Tomb was visited by President and Mrs.
Kennedy in 1961. It was this visit that inspired Mrs. Kennedy to request an eternal flame
for the President's grave site after he was assasinated in 1963.