January 29

An Lushan Assassinated

A rebel emperor betrayed by his own son

In one of the most dramatic episodes of the Tang dynasty's crisis, An Lushan, the rebel general who had proclaimed himself emperor of the rival Yan state, was assassinated in a palace plot orchestrated by his own son, An Qingxu. The rebellion An Lushan had launched against the Tang had plunged China into years of devastating warfare and cost millions of lives. His murder did not end the conflict, but it marked the beginning of the revolt's slow unraveling.

Allen DuMont Was Born

The man who brought television to your home

Allen Balcom DuMont was born in Brooklyn, New York, a future inventor who would transform how the world consumed entertainment. He improved the cathode-ray tube for television receivers and manufactured the first commercially practical TV set in 1938. In 1946, he founded the DuMont Television Network, the first licensed television network, pioneering the medium that would become the dominant cultural force of the twentieth century.

World War II

World War II: In Bologna, Italy, the Anatomical theatre of the Archiginnasio is completely destroyed in an air-raid.