Amazing knowledge

Chapter 19 History Declassification Mission: Who Betrayed the History Books

*Dragon Boat Festival commemorates Qu Yuan?

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The Dragon Boat Festival has always been our traditional festival. On the Dragon Boat Festival, we have to eat zongzi, race dragon boats, and commemorate Qu Yuan.However, what is the relationship between the Dragon Boat Festival and Qu Yuan?

According to history books, Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River to alert the monarch of the country, and the common people rushed to throw zongzi into the river to feed the fish in order to prevent the fish in the river from pecking at Qu Yuan's body.However, the real saying should be "Qu Yuan threw himself into the river on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival", that is to say, when Qu Yuan was alive, the Dragon Boat Festival already existed. Festival is more impressive.

Long before Qu Yuan threw himself into the river, the common people celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival every year to worship the river god and pray to the river god for a harvest in the coming year.Because every year around the Dragon Boat Festival, the Yangtze River will be flooded due to continuous torrential rains. The raging floods will wash away the hard-working seedlings planted by the people along the Yangtze River, and even completely destroy their homes.

The people in ancient times believed that the flood was the punishment of the river god’s wrath, so in order to make the river god happy, they would drink rice wine to sacrifice to the river god every year on the Dragon Boat Festival, praying that the river god would bless the next year with a good harvest and prevent the flood from harming the people. .

According to legend, rice wine is a fairy wine given by gods to the people. As long as you drink rice wine, you can dispel wind and dampness. Rice wine is only drunk when rice seedlings are soaked in water.

Later, Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River on the Dragon Boat Festival. To commemorate Qu Yuan, people added activities such as dragon boat racing, hanging wormwood and eating zongzi.

The final word: the Dragon Boat Festival has a long history, and it was not created to commemorate Qu Yuan, but Qu Yuan's sacrifice enriched the meaning of the Dragon Boat Festival, and people remembered this festival even more.

*Why is there no mathematics award in the Nobel Prize?

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Among all the world-class scientific awards, the Nobel Prize is definitely a heavyweight award. The Nobel Prize is divided into six awards: economics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, literature and peace, but there is no mathematics award. How is this? What's going on?
In fact, when the Nobel Prize comes to an end every year, this question will echo in the hearts of many people.Some people think that this is because Nobel had a grudge with a mathematician named Mitte Leffler during his lifetime, so he canceled the mathematics award, but this statement is a bit "petty".What's more, Mitte Leffler also stepped up to refute the rumors later, showing that he and Nobel did not have much intersection, let alone "grudges".

The reason why Nobel did not establish a mathematics prize is related to the background of the times at that time and Nobel's own neglect of mathematics.Nobel was a great inventor, but most of his inventions were based on his extraordinary creativity and keen intuition, and he did not rely too much on mathematics.In Nobel's view, practice is far more important than theory.

Nobel's main research direction is organic chemistry. He may not think that mathematics can promote the development of society, or he believes that human beings cannot benefit from mathematics, so he ignored mathematics and did not set up a mathematics prize.

In his will, Nobel stated that the prizes should be used for "inventions or discoveries" that have contributed greatly to the progress of mankind.It can be seen that Nobel is still more inclined to experimental science, so among the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics, far more people are engaged in experimental science than theoretical research.

The final word: The most likely reason why the Nobel Prize did not set up a mathematics award is that Mr. Nobel did not believe that mathematics belonged to applied science, and at that time there was already an internationally influential mathematics award - the Scandinavian Award.

*Napoleon was defeated because of hemorrhoids, is it true?
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When Napoleon was in full swing, he encountered the biggest failure in his life-the Battle of Waterloo, which directly brought an end to Napoleon's political and military career.There are rumors that the reason why Napoleon lost this battle was all caused by hemorrhoids. How could a small hemorrhoid make Napoleon lose so badly?

As the saying goes, "nine out of ten people have hemorrhoids". Hemorrhoids are a big problem, and most people will be troubled by them.However, if hemorrhoids break out, it will cause people to be so painful that they can't even sit or stand, disturbing people's sleeping and eating.

Although Napoleon dominated Europe and traveled all over the world, he also had to eat and sleep just like ordinary people, and he was not made of iron.Once Napoleon started to work, he often couldn't take care of sleep, and he had to settle his meals hastily, as long as he could fill his stomach.Such irregular living habits made Napoleon suffer from constipation all year round. At the age of 28, Napoleon suffered from hemorrhoids.And just a few years later, peptic ulcers also came to Napoleon.

When the Battle of Waterloo started, Napoleon suffered from hemorrhoids again. Napoleon endured the pain and commanded the soldiers to fight, but the pain made Napoleon almost crazy, and he couldn't even sleep at night.

Thinking that there was still a tough battle to be fought tomorrow, Napoleon chose to use opium to relieve pain and take a good rest.He took a lot of opium before going to bed, and these opium were indeed very effective. Napoleon forgot about the pain in his body and had a good sleep comfortably, but he slept until after 11 o'clock the next day.

By this time, the initiative in the war had completely fallen into the hands of the enemy, and even if Napoleon wanted to regain the initiative, he was powerless.Such a mistake made Napoleon upset and irritable. Uncalmly, he gave several wrong orders in a row, and the defeat was set. Napoleon finally suffered the biggest defeat in his life.

The final word: It is not so much that Napoleon's hemorrhoids caused Napoleon to lose the victory of Waterloo, it is better to say that the unhealthy body is unable to support Napoleon to the pinnacle of life.The body is the capital of the revolution. This sentence is the most reasonable saying no matter what time it is.

* Can ancient people get divorced?

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Modern people who emphasize equality between men and women have full freedom whether they are married or divorced. We can fully exercise our rights, whether to leave or not to leave, the couple has the final say.But in the ancient patriarchal society, can they also divorce?

Although the marriage in ancient China paid attention to "the order of the parents and the words of the matchmaker", if the couple really can't live on, they can also divorce, but the divorce in ancient times is not like ours now, the way people divorce in ancient times There are three main types:

The first is the most common "divorce".As long as a man gives his wife a divorce letter, he can unilaterally divorce without asking for the woman's consent.However, there are prerequisites for this, the woman must have committed the "seven outs and seven outs".The seven outs are childlessness, adultery, neglect of uncles, tongue talk, theft, jealousy, and sickness; the seven outs are disobedience to parents, childlessness, adultery, jealousy, sickness, talkativeness, and theft.

The content of "Seven out" and "Seven out" are similar. As long as the wife meets any one of these, the man can divorce his wife and unilaterally divorce.In ancient society, the interests of the man were all considered, and the woman had no right to speak.

The second is reconciliation and separation, which is a bit like our divorce today, that is, both husband and wife agree that life cannot go on, and they agree to divorce.Heli first appeared in the Tang Dynasty, but there are many references in modern times.

The last type is "yijue", which also means to cut off righteousness.If either of the spouses or their relatives commits a felony, the other party has the right to demand a compulsory divorce. This is the only option for a woman to file for divorce without the consent of the man, and it is also the most stringent one.

The final word: In the ancient patriarchal society, both husband and wife can divorce, but whether or not to divorce basically depends on the man. The initiative that the woman can get is very small, but it is not impossible.

*Why is Tang Seng called "Brother Yu"?
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When Tang Seng went to the West to learn scriptures, he passed through Daughter Kingdom. He was always called "Yudigege" by the ruler of Daughter Kingdom. This is the older brother and the younger brother. Why did Tang Seng have such a name?
At the beginning, when the king of Tang and Xuanzang met for the first time, Xuanzang knelt on the ground and expressed his willingness to go to the west to obtain the scriptures on behalf of the king of Tang.The king of Tang was very happy after hearing Xuanzang's words, and immediately decided to give Xuanzang the national surname-Tang, and at the same time became brothers with different surnames with Xuanzang.Then the king of Tang went to the Buddha statue in the temple and worshiped the Buddha statue with Xuanzang two times in a row. Finally, the king of Tang called Xuanzang "the holy monk of Yudi", which is how the title of "Yudi" came from. of.

Later, Xuanzang and his disciples arrived in the country of daughters, and the head of the country fell in love with Tang Seng at first sight, and wanted Tang Seng to stay with him.The princess of the daughter country has a deep admiration for Tang Seng. "Brother" is just a way of calling her to express her intimacy. Adding the title of Tang Seng's "Yudi", it naturally becomes "Yudigege".

Could it be that you let the head of the daughter country call Tang Seng "Brother Sage Monk"?The king wanted to let Tang Seng take off his cassock and stay with him in the daughter country, so why would he call his beloved "brother" by the name of "monk"?

The final word: The reason why Tang Seng is called "Brother Yudi" is because Tang Seng, as the sworn brother of King Tang, is a well-deserved "Yudi", and the heart of his daughter, the king, has already secretly agreed with Tang Seng. That's the only way to call him that.

*Who is the "People's Bank of China" on the RMB?
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With the advent of the "local tyrant gold" version of the renminbi, the renminbi has once again become the darling of the media and made headlines on the front page, but no matter how the renminbi is revised, the words "People's Bank of China" on it have never changed. Who wrote the words?
The words "People's Bank of China" on the RMB currently in circulation in my country are actually the words on the second set of RMB, but when the second set of RMB was first issued, the country still used traditional characters, and later waited until the RMB was issued to the fourth set. When it was set, the country promoted simplified characters, so the characters "国" and "银" in the "People's Bank of China" were changed to simplified characters.

Whether it is traditional or simplified, they are all written by Ma Wenwei, a Chinese calligrapher.

At the beginning, the renminbi was still in the design stage, and Mr. Nan Hanchen, the first governor of the People's Bank of China, was responsible for collecting inscriptions on the renminbi.The inscription on the RMB can be said to be a symbol of a country, so Mr. Nan Hanchen is also very cautious about this matter.

Later, Mr. Nan Hanchen thought of Ma Wenwei, who was a researcher at the Institute of Finance.Ma Wenwei is not only erudite and talented, but also has some attainments in calligraphy; moreover, Ma Wenwei has a resolute character and is an upright and motivated talent. Nan Hanchen admires Ma Wenwei very much.So Nan Hanchen called Ma Wenwei to his office, and said that he wanted to discuss with him, and asked him to write a few words, just write the name of the bank.

In this way, Ma Wenwei wrote "People's Bank of China" several times without knowing it. Later, he realized that the words he wrote might be used in RMB.Governor Nan carefully selected a complete set of "People's Bank of China" from the words written by Ma Wenwei.

In the end, this set of characters stood out among the many candidate works and became the inscription on the Chinese RMB, which has been used to this day.

The final word: Since its inception, the words "People's Bank of China" on the RMB have become the unified font of the People's Bank of China.Ma Wenwei's characters are rigorous in structure, elegant in shape, stable and generous, which not only highlights the profoundness of Chinese characters, but also expresses the unity of the people, and is loved by people all over the country.

*Why did Li Zicheng rebel?

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The name of "Chuang Wang" Li Zicheng is well-known in Chinese history. He dared to challenge the Ming Dynasty regime and was a pioneer representative of the peasant uprising, but why did he rebel?
When Li Zicheng was born, it was the time when the people were in dire straits at the end of the Ming Dynasty.At that time, the regime of the Ming Dynasty was corrupt, and the court oppressed the people without restraint. God was not good, and natural disasters came down again and again. Years of famine made the people miserable and unsustainable.

Li Zicheng's family owed a lot of debts when he was a child. His parents had no choice but to send Li Zicheng to the landlord's house to help the landlord herd sheep in order to repay the debt.But the landlord was cruel and mean to Li Zicheng, punching and kicking him at every turn.Li Zicheng, who was full of blood, was impulsive and couldn't help but hurt the landlord.

After that, Li Zicheng embarked on the road of escape. Fortunately, God did not force him to a dead end, but gave Li Zicheng a job as a postman for his living.

At that time, peasant uprisings broke out all over the country, but Li Zicheng had no such intentions. He just wanted to do his errands well in peace, and be content with seeking stability in troubled times.

But the sky failed, and Li Zicheng lost his livelihood!The only way out was blocked, Li Zicheng simply defected to his uncle Gao Yingxiang, became a member of the rebel army, and sang against the Ming Dynasty.

Later, Li Zicheng also killed many corrupt officials and became Gao Yingxiang's "breakthrough general".Afterwards, Li Zicheng continued to sum up experience in the struggle, united with other uprising forces, and became a veritable "Chuangwang".

The final word: "The government forces the people to rebel, and the people have to rebel." If it were not for the political corruption and natural disasters in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, the people would not have joined the uprising army and fought against the government.Water can carry a boat and overturn it. Only by winning the hearts of the people can we win the world.

*Who was the first female emperor in Chinese history?

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Speaking of female emperors in Chinese history, the first thing everyone thinks of is Wu Zetian, who left a stele without words for later generations. In fact, the first female emperor in China was someone else.

Long before Wu Zetian became emperor, there had been two female emperors in China.One of them can be said to be a political farce, let alone mention it.But the other one is a real female emperor, she can be said to be Wu Zetian's predecessor.

This female emperor was also born in the Tang Dynasty. In the fourth year of Tang Gaozong Li Zhi, Wu Zetian's husband succeeded to the throne, and also the second year Wu Zetian was named Zhaoyi, a peasant uprising broke out in Zhejiang.Different from the previous uprisings, the leader of this uprising turned out to be a woman, and she was Chen Shuozhen who later proclaimed himself emperor.

Chen Shuozhen was originally an ordinary citizen in Qingxi County, but she was dissatisfied with the imperial court's plundering of the people's fat and anointing and asking too much, so she told the local people that she was going to become a fairy.

Afterwards, Chen Shuozhen disappeared from Qingxi County, and when she came back, she transformed into an immortal worshiped by the people.Chen Shuozhen used his status as a fairy to call on the people to revolt, and the people with a radius of hundreds of miles bowed their heads to this fairy and were willing to work for her.So in the autumn of 653 AD, Chen Shuozhen officially announced an uprising against the imperial court.

Chen Shuozhen established his own regime according to his official position in the Tang Dynasty, and called himself "Emperor Wenjia".But later in the battle with the government, Chen Shuozhen was shot with arrows and died heroically.

Although Chen Shuozhen's regime only existed for a short period of more than a month, she proclaimed herself king and emperor as a woman, which is unprecedented in Chinese history.

The final word: In any case, the first female emperor in China was not Wu Zetian. Even if Chen Shuozhen's female emperor got a wrong name, there was still a puppet female emperor in the Northern Wei Dynasty.

*Who is the only emperor in history who only married one wife?
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The emperor has always been sitting in the three palaces and six courtyards, and each person enjoys three thousand pinks and daises all by himself. What is it like for an emperor to marry only one wife?

The monogamous model that dominates the mainstream in today's society seems to have never had anything to do with the emperor. Even the poorest Emperor Guangxu still has a queen and two concubines!But in history, there really was such an emperor who had a pair of people for a lifetime, and he was Emperor Xiaozong Zhu Youtang of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Youtang is not only different from other emperors in terms of the number of people in the harem, but his childhood is also full of legends.Ordinary emperors grew up in the deep palace compound since they were young. Even if they were not crown princes at the beginning, they were pampered little princes, but Zhu Youtang was different.

Zhu Youtang's mother and concubine were just low-status palace servants. Back then, Zhu Youtang's father, Emperor Xianzong, favored Concubine Wan Gui, and Concubine Wan Gui had no children, so he harmed other concubines in the palace. All pregnant concubines were not good As a result, their children cannot survive in this world.

Zhu Youtang was very lucky to be able to survive. Before the age of 6, Zhu Youtang did not enjoy the treatment that the prince should have at all. He spent every day in hiding.

Later, although Zhu Youtang was established as the prince, he was always on guard against the poison of Concubine Wan Gui, and almost lost his position as the crown prince several times.It was not until Concubine Wan Gui and Emperor Xianzong passed away one after another, and Zhu Youtang succeeded to the throne, that he only had a few days of peaceful life.

Zhu Youtang went through hardships when he was a child, so after becoming the emperor, he has always been clear and introspective, especially in terms of life, he has always been devoted to Empress Zhang. The two eat and sleep together every day, and they are very affectionate.

The final word: The only emperor in history who married only one woman was Zhu Youtang. He and Queen Zhang were a couple in need. His childhood experience made Zhu Youtang reflect on himself from time to time, and finally became a clear emperor.

*Emperor Daoguang liked to patch his clothes, is it true?
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In China's thousands of years of history and culture, as long as the emperor is mentioned, the terms we can think of are "luxury" and "power". Have you ever heard of the emperor patching clothes?
When it comes to Emperor Daoguang, he doesn't have any glorious achievements worthy of being remembered by later generations, but his stinginess and frugality are widely spread.

The Qing Dynasty reached its peak during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, and continued until the time of Emperor Qianlong, but prosperity must decline. After Emperor Qianlong, the Qing Dynasty has shown an irreversible decline.

By the time of Emperor Daoguang, the afterglow of the Kangxi and Qianlong heydays had disappeared, leaving behind a seriously empty treasury and rebellions of all sizes.

In order to reduce the expenditure in the palace, Emperor Daoguang set an example and frugal everywhere. Originally, the annual expenditure of the palace was 40 taels of silver, but Emperor Daoguang directly cut this budget down to 20. Emperor Daoguang's own clothes only changed once a month, which is a bit pitiful to say the least.The only clothes that Emperor Daoguang could get his hands on should be his dragon robe, because other clothes have large and small patches on them.

Under the advocacy of Emperor Daoguang, the concubines in the palace also lived a life of poverty. They could no longer use cosmetics, beautiful clothes, and even meat could only eat one or two bites during festive festivals.

If the emperor is like this, the ministers will naturally follow suit, and the whole country has set off a trend of thrift. Above the court, from the high emperor to the ministers of the lowest rank, all are dressed in rags, and the trend of thrift has arisen throughout the country.

The final word: Throughout the history of China, there are not a few emperors who practiced thrifty governance, but the only emperor who can really put it into practice, starting from himself, and who pursues his life is only Emperor Daoguang.

(End of this chapter)