Today in History
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Today in History |
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November 12, 1793 |
Jean Sylvain Bailly was an astronomer, and only reluctantly a politician. During the French Revolution, he became the first Mayor of Paris. One of his first acts was to restore full citizenship and rights to the Jewish population of Paris, a move that not all agreed to be a priority and which earned him the scorn of some members of the government. When a riot broke out in the Champ de Mars, Bailly used the National Guard to disperse the crowd, a move that created such animosity, he fled the city. He was later captured, however, and like many during the "Reign of Terror" guillotined with a summary trial. The first Mayor of Paris met an ignoble end.
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