A 1911 accidental bomb explosion triggered the revolution that ended imperial China
A misplaced spark in a secret laboratory in 1911 triggered a premature explosion that unexpectedly toppled the 267-year-old Qing dynasty and ended thousands of years of imperial rule in China.
The Xinhai Revolution began not with a planned battle, but with an accidental bomb explosion in a basement in Wuchang. On October 9, 1911, revolutionaries were preparing explosives when a smoke break led to a sudden blast. This accident forced the rebels to launch their uprising a day early to avoid arrest.
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