ABSTRACT
On 31 August 1886 the French chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul turned 100 years old.The government deemed the event a suitable occasion for a national festival.No expenses were spared to honor the pioneer of organic chemistry, the director of Gobelins' manufacturing for over forty years, the author of the celebrated theory of the contrast of colors, the patriot who had twice refused the Tsar's offer to leave his country for Russia, and the benefactor of mankind whose improved soap and candles were used in every home in the nation.All in all iffty-two speeches were made, a medal was struck, a statue was unveiled, the major Parisian theatres ran plays written for the occasion, delegations of foreign scientists and the President of the Republic assembled, the Paris town hall hosted a banquet for a thousand guests, a festival of poetry and music was held in Chevreul's honor, and a candle-lit procession illuminated the streets of Paris on that evening. 1
