The $650 Million Party That Overthrew An Empire
A look at the planet’s greatest party and how it overthrew the Persian empire.
You’re the monarch of Iran. It's 1971. 1 in 4 Iranians are in poverty, public services are in dire need of investment — and everyone knows you throw people in prison until they give you all their land and money.
What do you do? Perhaps, you can help the poor out. Or invest in public services. No, you throw a party worth $650 million (adjusted for inflation).
Even to this day, this party remains the most extravagant, luxurious, and expensive ever. It was officially to commemorate the 2500th anniversary of the Persian empire and had a grandeur never before seen in the world's history. It had delicious food from the world’s best restaurants, exquisite drinks, and luxurious accommodation. Not to mention, the world’s most decorated guest list, with royalty, heads of state, emperors, business figures, and celebrities from all over the world.
An entire miniature city was built, just for the party. But, a huge part of the $650 million price tag came from high-end Persian designers, who created nearly everything for the entire event. And, did I mention the 250 red limousines on-site? Because after all, that’s the only possible way to get from the banqueting hall to the bathroom.
And yes, you needed to get to the bathroom, because the grand gala dinner alone, had 600 guests eating and drinking for over 6 hours.
The food was supplied by a high-end French restaurant called Maxim’s. Because…what better way is there to celebrate Persian history, than with French food?
In fact, the famous French restaurant actually had to shut down for 2 weeks, to meet the high demand. Perhaps, they ordered so much from France, they accidentally brought over a revolution.
Dinner was followed by a ‘music and light’ show. The next day began with a parade showcasing the 2500 year history of the Iranian military with 1724 soldiers dressed in gear from various periods. The evening was occupied by a ‘traditional Persian party’. Probably just as Persian as the French food and just as traditional as a McDonald's Big Mac. The final day saw the Shah inaugurate the Shahvad Tower in Tehran, and the festivities were capped off by a ceremony at the mausoleum of the Shah’s father.
So…how does this tie in with overthrowing an empire? Well, surprise surprise, the Iranians didn’t like the fact that their leader had basically stolen 17% of their entire GDP. And, some historians suspect this played a significant role in the Iranian revolution in 1978.
The Iranian revolution saw the takeover of the Islamic Republic and, since then, as we all know, the Middle East has been largely calm and uneventful. With no nuclear weapons, fighting, and definitely no potential WW3.
