The Proud Provocateurs at the Center of Today's Paris Terror Attack

Charlie Hebdo, the French publication that was the victim of a horrific terrorist attack today, is no stranger to courting controversy and even danger with its no-holds-barred satire. Formerly known as Hara-Kiri, the paper first gained national notoriety in 1970 with a headline mocking the death of former President Charles de Gaulle— "Tragic dance at Colombey [de Gaulle's home] - one dead"—that led to it being shut down by the government. Undeterred, he paper quickly reconstituted under its current name and has been taking shots at sacred cows ever since. In the last decade or so, Hebdo has been needling the delicate sensibilities of Islamic extremists, with often tragic consequences.