On this day in 1958, the voters of France made Charles de Gaulle the first President of their country's Fifth Republic. Just so I will never regret never having listed them all in one place, here are the five Republics. 1. The First Republic was the creation of the Great Revolution. It was formally established in 1792 by the National Convention and it was overthrown 12 years later when Bonaparte made himself an Emperor. Interlude. That Empire was overthrown, the Bourbon dynasty restored. Then the Bourbon dynasty morphed into a brief Orleanist monarchy, and that in turn gave way, in 1848, to ... 2. The Second Republic was the shortest-lived of the bunch. It was declared by Alphonse de Lamartine, lasting only from 1848 to 1851. Long enough to inspire satirical lithographs by Honore Daumier though, so that's something. Interlude. The Second Republic was replaced by the Second Empire, which in turn would last long enough to be overthrown by Bismarck from without and Com...