Dreyfus affair: the scandal that tore France in two

The trial of Captain Alfred Dreyfus who was accused of spying for the Germans, on the flimsiest of information. He was found guilty and wrongly sentenced to life imprisonment, was then followed by the 12 year long struggle to free Dreyfus. Emile Zola wrote the remarkable story "J'Accuse" based on the trial and conviction of Dreyfus.