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1793: Robespierre Joins the Committee of Public Safety

On 27 July 1793, Maximilien Robespierre was elected to the Committee of Public Safety, the twelve-man body that effectively governed France during the most turbulent phase of the Revolution. His appointment marked a turning point: within months, the Committee would become the engine of the Terror, overseeing the execution of thousands deemed enemies of the Republic.

Robespierre’s influence on the Committee was profound and lethal. Under his direction, the Revolutionary Tribunal accelerated its work, sending nobles, clergy, political rivals, and ordinary citizens to the guillotine. His own end came almost exactly a year later, when the Thermidorian Reaction turned the machinery of the Terror against its architect.

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Europe Execution France Paris Political Crime Terrorism

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1890: Van Gogh Falls to a Self-Inflicted Wound in a French Wheat Field

On 27 July 1890, Vincent van Gogh walked into the wheat fields near Auvers-sur-Oise, France, and shot himself in the chest with a revolver. The wound was not immediately fatal; he staggered back to his lodgings at the Auberge Ravoux, where a doctor attended to him.

Van Gogh died two days later, on 29 July 1890, aged 37, with his brother Theo at his side. He had produced more than 2,000 works in a decade of furious creativity, yet sold only one painting during his lifetime.