December 22 Birthday
The Dreyfus affair began on December 22, 1894, when French artillery officer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason and sentenced to life on Devil's Island. He was Jewish, and the conviction was based on forged documents. The case divided France for twelve years. Émile Zola published "J'Accuse...!" in 1898, accusing the military of a cover-up. Dreyfus was exonerated in 1906. The affair exposed deep anti-Semitism in French society and inspired Theodor Herzl, who covered the trial as a journalist, to write The Jewish State (1896) — a founding document of Zionism. People born on December 22 fall under the zodiac sign of Capricorn. The birthstone is Tanzanite and the birth flower is Holly. Historical events on December 22 include 1807: Embargo Act bans US trade with foreign nations, 1894: Dreyfus affair begins — French officer falsely accused of treason, 1937: Lincoln Tunnel's first tube opens between New York and New Jersey. Famous people born on December 22 include Giacomo Puccini (1858), Lady Bird Johnson (1912), Ralph Fiennes (1962).