On This Day in History II

February 12

He was emperor at two, and sweeping streets at 53. The last emperor of China, Aisin-Gioro Puyi, was forced to abdicate the throne on February 12, 1912.

Puyi had an extraordinary life, becoming emperor four years earlier at the age of two years old.

As the nephew of the childless previous emperor, Puyi was forcibly taken from his parents and raised by palace eunuchs, who were powerless to resist his demands.



As emperor, Puyi never washed or dressed himself, and never wore the same clothes twice. Eunuchs would even blow onto his soup to cool it.

Puyi was forced to abdicate after a mutiny from the army garrison, and then was reinstated to the throne five years later in a reign that lasted 12 days.

In 1931 he was installed as a puppet leader of Japanese-controlled Manchuria, a role for which he was despised by locals.

He spent much of that time as a virtual prisoner in his palace, but that did not stop him carrying out wanton acts of cruelty on servants.



At the end of World War II, he was taken prisoner by the Soviet Union, though they allowed him to retain some servants to make his bed and dress him.

Two years later he was returned to then-Communist China, where he was jailed for ten years as a war criminal.

In that prison, he had to learn how to tie his shoes and brush his teeth by himself.

He was "remodelled" in Marxist-Leninist-Maoist discussion groups and confronted with the atrocities committed by the Japanese in World War II.

With the blessing of Chinese leader Mao Zedong, Puyi was allowed to move to a regular apartment and given a job as a street sweeper in 1959.

Getting lost in Peking, he told passers-by: "I'm Puyi, the last Emperor of the Qing dynasty. I'm staying with relatives and can't find my way home."

Puyi was given a job as a gardener, which he enjoyed, though he remained deeply forgetful of the tasks of regular people. He would frequently forget to turn off taps after washing his hands, and would leave doors open after walking into rooms.

In the last years of his life, Puyi would give regular press conferences and interviews, in which he would praise communism and denounce his former life.

When the Cultural Revolution began in 1966, he became a target for Maoist Red Guards, and had to be put under protection.

He died of cancer the following year.

On this date, 2 March, 2023
Texas Independence Day

187 years ago, Texas became The Republic of Texas;
independent and sovereign.

Later joining the U.S. ;  seemed a good plan at the time.

Thom Paine wrote:On this date, 2 March, 2023
Texas Independence Day

187 years ago, Texas became The Republic of Texas;
independent and sovereign.

Later joining the U.S. ;  seemed a good plan at the time.

........without owning any movable arty. and the best peices they owned were three tubes cast in 1815. so twenty years later they own no arty tack, nor ammo lumbers, nor arty horses. yet think theyll win the upcomming battles somehow. what great planning. so they send over 150 riflemen to a fort with 17 peices, with orders to only drag off three, and the locals object, then leave when they realize the gringos are gonna die for their actions.

jirqoadai wrote:

Thom Paine wrote:On this date, 2 March, 2023
Texas Independence Day

187 years ago, Texas became The Republic of Texas;
independent and sovereign.

Later joining the U.S. ;  seemed a good plan at the time.

........without owning any movable arty. and the best peices they owned were three tubes cast in 1815. so twenty years later they own no arty tack, nor ammo lumbers, nor arty horses. yet think theyll win the upcomming battles somehow. what great planning. so they send over 150 riflemen to a fort with 17 peices, with orders to only drag off three, and the locals object, then leave when they realize the gringos are gonna die for their actions.

As usual you have this canny ability to hit the nail right on the head lol

1867 born Cy Young

1852 - Cap Anson - birthday

1880 - Wahoo Sam - born ( best ' deadball hitter ' ) when by the middle innings the baseball used for the entire game was mush.

isn't today the 30th anniversary of the Waco Massacre.

Today also marks the day the first battle of the American Revolution was fought in 1775.

HawkTheSlayer wrote:Today also marks the day the first battle of the American Revolution was fought in 1775.

1st thirty battles. ( it was my duty in honor of all the slain and mortaly wounded to correct you. )