Thanks for posting this. Some of the younger folks need to know the history of semi pistols.
Not pick nits too closely, but the C-96 was actually designed by a couple of P.P. Mauser's designers 'on their own time'. Mauser came to accept the design and the rest is history. I don't have my references at hand, but the actual designers are known. Also, around the same time, Georg Luger was hired to improve Borchardtt's pistol which was the first commercially successful semi-auto pistol. Again, the rest is history. It is interesting that all of this occurred before 1900.
That is a nice looking 1907, wish either of mine was nearly as nice.