On This Day
1894 – The Dreyfus affair begins in France, when Alfred Dreyfus is wrongly convicted of treason.
The Dreyfus affair (French: affaire Dreyfus, pronounced [lafɛːʁ dʁɛfys]) was a political scandal that divided the Third French Republic from 1894 until its resolution in 1906. “L’Affaire”, as it is known in French, has come to symbolise modern injustice in the Francophone world,[1] and it remains one of the most notable examples of a complex miscarriage of justice and antisemitism. The role played by the press and public opinion proved influential in the conflict.
The scandal began in December 1894 when Captain Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason. Dreyfus was a 35-year-old Alsatian French artillery officer of Jewish descent. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for allegedly communicating French military secrets to the German Embassy in Paris, and was imprisoned in Devil’s Island in French Guiana, where he spent nearly five years.
In 1896, evidence came to light—primarily through an investigation instigated by Georges Picquart, head of counter-espionage—which identified the real culprit as a French Army major named Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy. When high-ranking military officials suppressed the new evidence, a military court unanimously acquitted Esterhazy after a trial lasting only two days. The Army laid additional charges against Dreyfus, based on forged documents. Subsequently, Émile Zola’s open letter J’Accuse…!, stoked a growing movement of support for Dreyfus, putting pressure on the government to reopen the case.
In 1899, Dreyfus was returned to France for another trial. The intense political and judicial scandal that ensued divided French society between those who supported Dreyfus (now called “Dreyfusards”), such as Sarah Bernhardt, Anatole France, Henri Poincaré and Georges Clemenceau, and those who condemned him (the anti-Dreyfusards), such as Édouard Drumont, the director and publisher of the antisemitic newspaper La Libre Parole. The new trial resulted in another conviction and a 10-year sentence, but Dreyfus was pardoned and released. In 1906, Dreyfus was exonerated and reinstated as a major in the French Army. He served during the whole of World War I, ending his service with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He died in 1935.
The affair from 1894 to 1906 divided France into pro-republican, anticlerical Dreyfusards and pro-Army, mostly Catholic “anti-Dreyfusards”. It embittered French politics and encouraged radicalisation.[2]
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Born On This Day
1912 – Elias Degiannis, Greek commander (d. 1943)
Ilias Degiannis (Greek: Ηλίας Ντεγιάννης; 22 December 1912 – 18 June 1943) was a Greek navy officer Resistance leader during the Axis occupation of Greece.
Degiannis had participated in the abortive pro-Republican coup attempt of March 1935, and been dismissed from the navy as a result.[1]
He was one of a number of pro-Liberal or left-wing Greeks contacted and recruited by Section D of British intelligence in early 1941, forming an intelligence cell called “Prometheus” (Προμηθεύς) under the leadership of Colonel Evripidis Bakirtzis. Due to the German invasion of Greece and the rapid conquest of the country in April–May 1941, the British were not able to organize their clandestine network on a firm basis or provide them with suitable material such as radios. Following the British withdrawal, only the Prometheus group used its transmitter to send information to SOE in Cairo.[2]
In early 1942, Bakirtzis was forced to leave Greece because his identity had been revealed to the Germans. Degiannis, along with fellow participants in the 1935 coup Charalambos Koutsogiannopoulos and Dimitris Bardopoulos, was left in charge of the group which was reorganized as “Prometheus II”. The group collected intelligence for the SOE and engaged in a successful sabotage campaign against Axis shipping.[3]
He was arrested, tortured and executed by the Germans on 18 June 1943. He was promoted posthumously to Commander.
In December 1980 the Hellenic Navy commissioned the La Combattante IIIb-class fast attack craft Ypoploiarchos Degiannis (P 26) in his honour.
His brother Theodoros Degiannis became an admiral and chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff in 1982–1984, while another brother Ioannis Degiannis became a senior judge, presiding over the Greek Junta Trials.
FYI
Brain Pickings by Maria Popova: Annual special: Favorite books of 2020 (and a few thoughts on what makes a great book)
Brain Pickings by Maria Popova: As If to Demonstrate an Eclipse: Comedian Chuck Nice Reads Billy Collins’s Ode to the Quiet Wellspring of Gratitude
By Sahara Foley, Featured Book: Destination North Pole: 5,000 km by bicycle
STORIES OF THE FAR NORTH: As the Crow Flies
Weekly digest for Hannah Howe, on December 21, 2020: The brave Americans who fought fascism in the Spanish Civil War. “Somebody had to do something.”
Fireside Books presents Shelf Awareness for Readers for Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Gastro Obscura: Meet mulled wine’s wild cousin: feuerzangenbowle; Little Island, World’s Biggest Bitters Consumer; Crisp, Refreshing, Pine-Sol? And more ->
Ideas
By Maker Gray: How to Build an Outdoor Lounge Chair
By artsyprettyplants: DIY Concrete Stepping Stones That Look Natural
Recipes
By Nicole – The Yummy Muffin: 2 Ingredient Dough Christmas Focaccia
By Sheela Prakash, The Kitchn: The Best Way to Fry an Egg Once you try Spanish fried eggs, you’ll never cook them any other way.
By Jesse Szewczyk, The Kitchn: Lemon Meringue Cheesecake Is the Ultimate Holiday Showstopper
DamnDelicious
- Red and Green Chicken Enchiladas December 21, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details. Can’t decide between red or green enchilada sauce? Now you can have both and have the best of both worlds! Sometimes you need red enchiladas, and sometimes you need green. This is where I have you completely covered. Called divorciadas or […]Chungah @ Damn Delicious
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta December 14, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details. Creamy, garlicky, mushroom fettuccine that’s oh-so-fancy (and so stinking easy). An absolute weeknight staple here! Need a fancy dinner in? For company/friends/family/spouse/kids/all of the above? We have you covered with the creamiest mushroom fettuccine here, whipped up in no time, of […]Chungah @ Damn Delicious
RecipeTinEats
- 2024 Ultimate Christmas menu planning guide December 12, 2024Here’s a handy list of my Christmas recipes, organised by make-ahead and reheating suitability, and those best made fresh. Perfect for menu planning, especially alongside the new Christmas recipe index! I thrive on holiday menu planning. It’s like the Olympics of cooking – except less athleticism and more butter! The goal, as always, is a... […]Nagi
- Easy Christmas Cheesecake Slab – no bake! December 6, 2024This no bake Christmas cheesecake is designed for sizzling Aussie summers – no sweating over a hot oven! Designed to serve a crowd, it’s the easiest cheesecake recipe I know yet it still captures all the hallmarks of a beautiful classic baked cheesecake. Decorate with whipped cream, berries and rosemary sprigs for an effortless, pretty... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 21 December 21, 2024Picture of the day The Padum-Pibiting Road from Karsha to Padum (elevation 3,500 m (11,500 ft)) which is nestled at the base of the Zanskar range. The mountains of this Trans-Himalayan range tower 2,400 m (7,900 ft) above Padum. Zanskar, Ladakh, India.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 20 December 20, 2024Picture of the day Frost-covered lifebuoy attached to a dolphin, captured on Lake Siskiyou in Northern California
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