Alfred Dreyfus, An affair (1859-1935, Year of Entry: 1878)

In 1894, Polytechnician Alfred Dreyfus was the target of one of the most controversial French political and legal scandals of all time. Falsely accused of having written a note about sending French military documents to the Germans, he was sentenced to military degradation and a five-year deportation to Devil’s Island in French Guiana. Before the incident, he held positions as Captain of the 31st Artillery Regiment and Deputy at the Central School of Military Pyrotechnics (École Centrale de Pyrotechnie Militaire). The Dreyfus Affair put his career on hold for more than ten years. After being found innocent by the Court of Cassation in 1906, he was promoted to Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1919, on the day of his discharge from service.