1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:05,240 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey guys, I hope you enjoy these classic 3 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:08,479 Speaker 1: episodes from the t D I h C Vault. I'm 4 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:11,559 Speaker 1: currently researching a new crop of stories for next year, 5 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: so be sure to join me again on January second, 6 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: when we return with all new episodes. See you in 7 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:21,960 Speaker 1: the new year. Welcome to This Day in History Class 8 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,439 Speaker 1: from how Stuff Works dot com and from the desk 9 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:26,640 Speaker 1: of Stuff you Missed in History Class. It's the show 10 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:28,960 Speaker 1: where we explore the past one day at a time 11 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 1: with a quick look at what happened today in history. 12 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:38,519 Speaker 1: Hi there, and welcome to the podcast. I'm your host, 13 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 1: Christopher Hacovis. Today it's December six, and the Boston Tea 14 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 1: Party took place on this day in seventeen seventy three. 15 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: Now we have to go back to Boston in the 16 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,160 Speaker 1: colony of Massachusetts in the seventeen sixties, so a little 17 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: bit before the Tea Party. This is before the United 18 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: States was a country or a political movement. Really everyone 19 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: was still a British subject. And to understand the context 20 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: of what became the Tea Party, what led to the event, 21 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,199 Speaker 1: you need to know about the Stamp Act, of seventeen sixty. 22 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: Now many goods had to be stamped in order to 23 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:10,760 Speaker 1: prove taxes were being paid back to Britain. This isn't 24 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: just about postage stamps. It's a playing cards all sorts 25 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: of goods. And the colonists responded that these internal taxes 26 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: were two owners. It's too much of a pain. It 27 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: was a contentious issue. The people who are actually in 28 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 1: charge of overseeing the stamps resigned and left their posts. 29 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:29,960 Speaker 1: Britain responded that, okay, we won't do that, but will 30 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: instead tax imports to the colonies. And all this talk 31 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: of tax may conjure thoughts of the saying no taxation 32 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: without representation. This is the sort of thing that is 33 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: hammered into the heads of people in American history classes 34 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,199 Speaker 1: in middle school and high school. And what it means 35 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:46,919 Speaker 1: is that no specific members of Parliament back in Britain 36 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: were elected by the colonists or represented their interests directly. Parliament, 37 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: on their hand, responded that essentially the colonists did have 38 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: representation because everybody in Parliament represented them sort of. This 39 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: was known as virtual representation. The colonists didn't really see 40 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: eye to eye with the Parliament on this and it 41 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: led to some more conflict, and that brings us to tea. Now, 42 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:12,679 Speaker 1: tea was super popular in the colonies. Colonists consumed one 43 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: point two million pounds of tea per year, which is 44 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: more than half a million kilos. The imports, however, were 45 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: controlled exclusively by the British East India Company, and the 46 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: import tax could be increased or decreased as necessary by Parliament. 47 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:30,080 Speaker 1: One justification that Parliament gave for setting up this monopoly 48 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: and leaving these taxes was they had to spend money 49 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: and resources on the French and Indian War, which they 50 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: claimed benefited the colonists, but it also benefited Parliament and 51 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: the British Empire as well. Again, a series of events 52 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: leads up to the Tea Party. It's it's not just 53 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: one isolated event. Laws and acts come into play. The 54 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,640 Speaker 1: seventeen sixty nine Indemnity Act repealed the t tax, but 55 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,399 Speaker 1: then the Townshend Acts restore that tax, and then those 56 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 1: were repealed in seventeen seventy and then in seventeen seventy 57 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:59,360 Speaker 1: three we have the Tea Act that comes along. Now 58 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: at this point the people of Boston felt unrepresented. There 59 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: was discontent the whole population of the city was about 60 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 1: fifteen thousand, but there had been meetings of up to 61 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,079 Speaker 1: five thousand people to talk about the problems. That's the 62 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 1: third of the population of the city. And on November 63 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:18,799 Speaker 1: seventy three, word got out among one of these meetings 64 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: that a shipment of tea was coming in. Now, the 65 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: ships arrived in Boston Harbor and wanted to unload their tea, 66 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:26,959 Speaker 1: but the colonists particularly didn't want them to do that 67 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:29,239 Speaker 1: because then they'd have to pay the duty. And the 68 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 1: way it worked is once the tea hit the docks 69 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: and left the boat, that's when the duties had to 70 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: be paid. So folks whose names you may have heard 71 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: if you're familiar with American history, Paul Revere, John Hancock, 72 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: Sam Adams, Folks like this and a hundred and thirteen 73 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: other Boston townspeople were at the old South Meeting House 74 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: in Boston. Now that's at the corner of Washington and 75 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: Milk Streets today and the building still stands. You can 76 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: see it. It's directly across from the Irish Famine Memorial. 77 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: A little bit of a hubbub grows up in the crowd. 78 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 1: You know, people get a little agitated, and everyone marches 79 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: down to the docks and they dump what today would 80 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: be nearly one million dollars worth of tea into the harbor. 81 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 1: This is generally a peaceful protest. There was destruction of property, obviously, 82 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 1: and probably some shouting, some kicking and shoving, but nobody 83 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: was killed. There were no serious attacks. In fact, of 84 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 1: the one and sixteen people who participated in this act, 85 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: only one was arrested. Now, word of what became known 86 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:25,800 Speaker 1: as the Boston Tea Party didn't reach England until January 87 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: of seventeen seventy four. The British reacted angrily. They closed 88 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: the port of Boston. They insisted the British East India 89 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: Company be reimbursed for their lost goods. They reinstated the 90 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 1: Quartering Act, which meant that British soldiers could stay in 91 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:43,080 Speaker 1: the houses of colonists for free. They restricted meetings, and 92 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 1: they also decreed that British officials who were accused of 93 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 1: major crimes in the colonies couldn't be tried in the 94 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: colonies that would have to come back to England. So 95 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:54,240 Speaker 1: the Boston Tea Party didn't kick off the American Revolution 96 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:57,160 Speaker 1: per se. It's often shorthanded that way in history classes, 97 00:04:57,160 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: but the first draft of the Declaration of Independence didn't 98 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 1: come into exist since until about ten months later. But 99 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: if we can agree that a country is a set 100 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: of ideals and goals, that there are no real borders 101 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,280 Speaker 1: on the ground, it's just a way that people think 102 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:14,159 Speaker 1: about themselves and the groups they belong to and what 103 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 1: they value. The Boston Tea Party really did codify some 104 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: of what America today believes about itself. If you want 105 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: to learn more about the Boston Tea Party, then search 106 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: for the December eighth, two eight episode of our companion podcast, 107 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:31,800 Speaker 1: Stuff You Missed in History Class that's titled how the 108 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 1: Boston Tea Party Worked. I'd like to thank Casey Pegram 109 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:37,119 Speaker 1: and Chandler Maids for their audio work on this show. 110 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: You can subscribe to This Day in History Class or 111 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:42,839 Speaker 1: Stuff you Missed in History Class on Apple Podcasts. You 112 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:45,159 Speaker 1: can find them on the I Heart Radio app or 113 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: pretty much anywhere else you find your podcasts. Now, please 114 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: make sure to listen to tomorrow's episode when host Tracy V. 115 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: Wilson returns and she will regale you with a history 116 00:05:54,160 --> 00:06:04,839 Speaker 1: behind a certain celebration book. Hey, I'm Eves and you're 117 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 1: listening to This Day in History Class, a podcast where 118 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: we bring you a slice of history every day. The 119 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: day was December five c Chinese general and Lucian proclaimed 120 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 1: himself emperor, marking the beginning of the and Lucian Rebellion 121 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:30,159 Speaker 1: against the Tong dynasty. The rebellion resulted in the establishment 122 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 1: of the short lived Yin dynasty and a devastating number 123 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:37,159 Speaker 1: of deaths, though the exact toll is difficult to estimate. 124 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 1: The Tong dynasty came to power in China in six 125 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: Arts and culture flourished in the dynasty, and it has 126 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 1: been considered a golden age in Chinese history. But in 127 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:51,800 Speaker 1: the middle of the eighth century, the Tong dynasty was 128 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:54,920 Speaker 1: involved in several wars, so a lot of troops were 129 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,840 Speaker 1: dying and the Tong court was losing money. And Lucian 130 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 1: was a military command are likely of Turkic and Sagdian 131 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: or Iranian descent. He gained prominence leading raiding parties against 132 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: Kitan armies and other forces that threatened China. After he 133 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: was defeated in one expedition in the seven thirties, he 134 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:17,920 Speaker 1: was disgraced and supposed to be executed, but he was 135 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 1: just stripped of his rank and titles, but they were 136 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:24,880 Speaker 1: soon restored, and and Lushan proceeded to rise in rank. 137 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: By seven forty two, he had become military governor of 138 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:33,000 Speaker 1: the province of Penglu on the northeastern frontier, and Lucian 139 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 1: often went to Chang'an, the Tang capital, and he gained 140 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 1: the favor of Emperor Shuin Song, the emperor's consort Yan Guifey, 141 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: and Chancellor Lee li Fu, and and Lushan continued to 142 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: gain military power. By seven forty seven, he was given 143 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,680 Speaker 1: the honorary title of Chief Deputy Imperial Censor, and by 144 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,200 Speaker 1: seven fifty one he was regional military commander of three 145 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 1: garrisons in the north with more than one fifty thousand troops. 146 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 1: Because he was in such good favor with the emperor, 147 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: he avoided a lot of criticism, and he took advantage 148 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 1: of the Tong dynasty's weaknesses and his good graces with 149 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:14,920 Speaker 1: the emperor to plan a rebellion. In seven fifty two, 150 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 1: Chancellor Lee lin Fu, who had gained dictatorial power, died. 151 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 1: Yan gu Jong, Yang Guifay's cousin replaced Lee lin Fu 152 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: as chancellor. Conflicts broke out between Yang Gu Jong and 153 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: and Lushan, and the next few years were marked by 154 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: a power struggle as they tried to establish more military 155 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:37,200 Speaker 1: power on the frontier and political power in the court. 156 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: At the same time, China was suffering from military defeats 157 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: and natural disasters, and Lushan decided to use force. Under 158 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 1: the guise that Emperorshian Song had commanded him to get 159 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: rid of yong Gu Chong and Lucian marched on Luo Yang, 160 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: the eastern capital of tang China. Because and Lucian treated 161 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 1: captured local officials decently, many joined his campaign and his 162 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:05,680 Speaker 1: ranks grew. He captured lu Yang and on December sixteenth, 163 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:09,560 Speaker 1: seven fifty five, and Lushan declared himself emperor in northern 164 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:14,400 Speaker 1: China and established the rival yin dynasty. He was defeated 165 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 1: by the Tong army in the Battle of yang Chu 166 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 1: in seven fifty six, but he was more successful at Changan. 167 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:23,360 Speaker 1: He captured the city and sent the Emperor's southwest into 168 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:27,319 Speaker 1: exile with his court and household. The emperor's guards killed 169 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 1: Yang Gujong, whom they blamed for all the conflict, as 170 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 1: well as Yan Guifei, Shunzong abdicated in favor of the 171 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:40,200 Speaker 1: Crown Prince Lihan, who was proclaimed Emperor Suzong. Suzong appointed 172 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:43,680 Speaker 1: generals to deal with the rebellion, and imperial forces managed 173 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:48,120 Speaker 1: to recapture Chang'an in lu Yang. The rebellion continued, but 174 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: and Lushan was murdered by his son in seven fifty seven. 175 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:54,760 Speaker 1: The rebellion declined as its leaders died in soldiers in 176 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: generals defected to the Tong army. It ended in seven 177 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:03,440 Speaker 1: sixty three, eight years after it began. The rebellion lasted 178 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 1: through the reign of three Tang emperors. The rebellion weekend 179 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 1: the centralized bureaucracy of the Tong dynasty, as the dynasty 180 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:14,160 Speaker 1: pardoned many rebels and allowed some to command their own garrisons. 181 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:17,920 Speaker 1: The Tong government also lost a lot of control over 182 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 1: the Western Regions, a strategically important area in Central Asia. 183 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:25,960 Speaker 1: The economy and intellectual culture of the Tong dynasty also 184 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,679 Speaker 1: took a hit. The latter half of the Tong dynasty 185 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 1: was marked by war lordism, and the dynasty ended in 186 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 1: nine oh seven. A period of political turbulence known as 187 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 1: the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms followed the fall of 188 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: the Tong dynasty. I'm Eves Jeffcote and hopefully you know 189 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 190 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:49,679 Speaker 1: If you have any insight on an accident or a 191 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:53,520 Speaker 1: pronunciation spoken in the show today, you can feel free 192 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:56,920 Speaker 1: to send us a kind note on social media at 193 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:02,720 Speaker 1: t d i HC podcast past. Our email address is 194 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:07,760 Speaker 1: this Day at I heart media dot com. Thanks for listening. 195 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:25,640 Speaker 1: We'll see you again tomorrow with another episode. Hello, and 196 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:29,000 Speaker 1: welcome to This Day in History Class, a show for 197 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 1: those who can never know enough about history. I'm Gabe Lousier, 198 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:37,960 Speaker 1: and today we're talking about one of the deadliest natural 199 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 1: disasters of the last hundred years, including the reasons why 200 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:53,840 Speaker 1: you've probably never heard of it. The day was December six. 201 00:11:56,640 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: At seven oh six pm local time, a massive earthquake 202 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:04,520 Speaker 1: reeked havoc on the isolated gan Sioux province in north 203 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:09,520 Speaker 1: central China. The disaster is generally known as the Hiouan 204 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:14,680 Speaker 1: earthquake after the location of its epicenter, Hiouan County. The 205 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:18,240 Speaker 1: quake hit one of the less populous areas of China, 206 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:23,200 Speaker 1: but its death toll was exceptionally high. Nonetheless, the U 207 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:27,280 Speaker 1: s geological survey put the number at two hundred thousand 208 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:33,240 Speaker 1: lives lost, but that's a conservative estimate. A Chinese study 209 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:36,560 Speaker 1: reported the true number to be two hundred and seventy 210 00:12:36,679 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 1: three thousand lives lost, depending on which country's statistics you 211 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:45,720 Speaker 1: go by. That makes the Hihuan quake either the first 212 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:49,440 Speaker 1: or the second most deadly earthquake of the twentieth century, 213 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:53,440 Speaker 1: as well as the third or fourth deadliest of all time. 214 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:59,400 Speaker 1: The area surrounding Hihuan was characterized by vast deposits of 215 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:03,800 Speaker 1: something called called lowest, the yellow wind blown sediment that 216 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 1: gave the Yellow River its name. This dry, loose soil 217 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:12,640 Speaker 1: made the region vulnerable to earthquakes, and it didn't help 218 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:16,040 Speaker 1: that most of the homes there were cave dwellings called 219 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:19,800 Speaker 1: yao dongs that were dug out of the lowest deposits. 220 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:24,800 Speaker 1: These deposits were hundreds of meters deep in some places, 221 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:28,680 Speaker 1: and under seismic activity, the homes built into them were 222 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:33,200 Speaker 1: prone to collapse. These factors are one reason why the 223 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 1: death toll of the Hiouan earthquake exceeded that of quakes 224 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:42,880 Speaker 1: of similar intensity that occurred in more populous areas. Hiuen 225 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:46,000 Speaker 1: was home to only about a hundred and forty six 226 00:13:46,040 --> 00:13:50,680 Speaker 1: thousand people, but because of landslides and cave ins, nearly 227 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:56,239 Speaker 1: half of the county's population was lost. The earthquake registered 228 00:13:56,320 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 1: at the highest level on the Mercali Intensity scale, which 229 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 1: measures the observed effects of an earthquake. As for its magnitude, 230 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: accounts vary, but most sources agree it's seismic waves were 231 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:13,319 Speaker 1: somewhere between a seven point eight and an eight point 232 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:17,480 Speaker 1: five on the Richter scale. Either way, the quake was 233 00:14:17,559 --> 00:14:21,240 Speaker 1: powerful enough to register on the equipment of ninety six 234 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:25,880 Speaker 1: different locations around the world, and it's aftershocks were reportedly 235 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:29,920 Speaker 1: felt in the region for the next three years. The 236 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:33,720 Speaker 1: damage from the quake extended through an area of twenty 237 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 1: thousand square kilometers or nearly eight thousand miles. Dozens of 238 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:45,040 Speaker 1: villages near the epicenter were completely destroyed. In fourteen counties, 239 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: over seventy percent of all structures had collapsed, and throughout 240 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:55,160 Speaker 1: the region, over a million livestock animals were buried beneath debris. 241 00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:59,960 Speaker 1: Because the region's granaries had been toppled, and because most 242 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:03,120 Speaker 1: of the sheep and cattle had been crushed. Some of 243 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 1: the initial survivors starved to death in the weeks following 244 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 1: the quake. The disaster had occurred in the middle of winter, 245 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:15,000 Speaker 1: causing many others to die from exposure to windstorms and 246 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:20,200 Speaker 1: heavy snowfall. The grim situation was made even worse by 247 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:25,400 Speaker 1: frequent aftershocks, which left many survivors fearful of building anything 248 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:29,720 Speaker 1: but the most temporary of shelters. If that wasn't enough 249 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 1: to contend with, survivors also had to navigate a changed 250 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:39,880 Speaker 1: environment riddled with ground cracks, landslides, torn up roads, and 251 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:45,480 Speaker 1: damned rivers. These complications, along with the general remoteness of 252 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 1: the region, are another reason why the death toll grew 253 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 1: so high. It was difficult for survivors to escape the 254 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:56,160 Speaker 1: ruined landscape, and it was nearly just as hard for 255 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:59,360 Speaker 1: would be rescuers to get through to those in need. 256 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:04,600 Speaker 1: The Chinese state and the general public eventually mounted relief 257 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 1: and reconstruction efforts to help those most impacted by the quake. However, 258 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:13,520 Speaker 1: the aid that was given had little effect on such 259 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 1: widespread suffering. This ineffectiveness was largely due to timing. The 260 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,920 Speaker 1: Hiouan earthquake had struck during a famine that was effecting 261 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,040 Speaker 1: tens of millions of people in the North China Plain. 262 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:32,240 Speaker 1: Most public resources had been put into that crisis, leaving 263 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 1: little support left over for the survivors in Gantsou. Given 264 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:40,440 Speaker 1: the extensive damage and loss of life it caused, the 265 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:45,880 Speaker 1: Hiouan earthquake remains relatively unknown. This is partly because it 266 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:49,480 Speaker 1: struck a rural location and not a major city, but 267 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:53,440 Speaker 1: more crucially, the quake took place during the early years 268 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 1: of what would become the Chinese Civil War. Those hostilities, 269 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:01,520 Speaker 1: as well as the famine and other political crises of 270 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:05,600 Speaker 1: the day, overshadowed what was ultimately one of the worst 271 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:11,159 Speaker 1: natural disasters in human history. Today, China continues to be 272 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:15,199 Speaker 1: susceptible to massive earthquakes, but thanks to the lessons of 273 00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:18,960 Speaker 1: previous quakes like the one in Hayowan, the country is 274 00:17:19,119 --> 00:17:22,720 Speaker 1: much better equipped to handle the fall out. The public 275 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 1: is much more aware of the earthquake risk, and seismic 276 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:32,520 Speaker 1: activity is now factored into all construction, including underground dwellings, 277 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:37,960 Speaker 1: which are still very much in use. I'm Gay Louisier, 278 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,480 Speaker 1: and hopefully you now know a little more about history 279 00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:45,240 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. If you'd like to keep 280 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:48,639 Speaker 1: up with the show. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, 281 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:53,080 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t d i HC Show. You can 282 00:17:53,119 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 1: also leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, and you 283 00:17:56,280 --> 00:17:59,119 Speaker 1: can write to us at this day at i heart 284 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:03,440 Speaker 1: Media dot hom. Thanks to Chandler Mace for producing the show, 285 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:06,400 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 286 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:17,360 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another day in History class. For more 287 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:19,920 Speaker 1: podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, 288 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.