By: HISTORY.com Editors

1912

Last emperor of China abdicates

Published: March 02, 2010Last Updated: January 31, 2025

On February 12, 1912, Hsian-T’ung, the last emperor of China, is forced to abdicate following Sun Yat-sen’s republican revolution. A provisional government was established in his place, ending 267 years of Manchu rule in China and 2,000 years of imperial rule. The former emperor, only six years old, was allowed to keep up his residence in Beijing’s Forbidden City, and he took the name of Henry Pu Yi.

Pu Yi was enthroned as emperor in 1908 after his uncle, the Kuang-hsu emperor, died. He reigned under a regency and underwent training to prepare him for his coming rule. However, in October 1911, his dynasty fell to Sun Yat-sen’s revolution, and four months later he abdicated. The new Chinese government granted him a large government pension and permitted him to live in the imperial palace until 1924, when he was forced into exile.

After 1925, he lived in Japanese-occupied Tianjin, and in 1932 Japan created the puppet state of Manchukuo in Manchuria under his rule. In 1934, Henry Pu Yi was enthroned as K’ang Te, emperor of Manchukuo. Despite guerrilla resistance against his puppet regime, he held the emperor’s title until 1945, when he was captured by Soviet troops.

In 1946, Pu Yi testified before the Tokyo war crimes tribunal that he had been an unwilling tool of the Japanese and not, as they claimed, an instrument of Manchurian self-determination. Manchuria and the Rehe province were returned to China, and in 1950 Pu Yi was handed over to the Chinese communists. He was imprisoned at Shenyang until 1959, when Chinese leader Mao Zedong granted him amnesty. After his release, he worked in a mechanical repair shop in Peking.

China: Timeline

For as long as there have been civilized humans, there has been some form of China.

By: HISTORY.com Editors

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on February 12th

1789

Ethan Allen dies

On February 12, 1789, Vermont Patriot Ethan Allen dies of a stroke at age 52 on his Winooski River homestead. Allen is best remembered as the patriotic leader of the Green Mountain Boys, who took the British fort at Ticonderoga with Benedict Arnold in May 1775. He also had a varied career defending his land […]

1:52m read

1793

The US enacts first fugitive slave law

Congress passes the first fugitive slave law, requiring all states, including those that forbid slavery, to forcibly return enslaved people who have escaped from other states to their original owners. The laws stated that “no person held to service of labor in one state, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of […]

1809

Abraham Lincoln is born

Future U.S. president Abraham Lincoln is born in Hodgenville, Kentucky on February 12, 1809. Lincoln, one of America’s most admired presidents, grew up a member of a poor family in Kentucky and Indiana. He attended school for only one year, but thereafter read on his own in a continual effort to improve his mind. As an adult, […]

3:50m read

1817

Revolutionary leader José de San Martín routs Spanish forces in Chile

In the early hours of February 12, 1817, Argentine revolutionary José de San Martín leads his troops down the slopes of the Andes Mountains towards the Spanish forces defending Chile. By nightfall, the Spanish would be routed, the fledgling nation of Chile would have taken a major step toward independence. San Martín was already a […]

2:12m read

1909

The NAACP is founded

On February 12, 1909, the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, a group that included African American leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells-Barnett announced the formation of a new organization. Called the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, it would have a profound effect on the struggle for civil rights […]

1917

American schooner Lyman M. Law is sunk

The Austrian submarine U-35 bombs and sinks the American schooner Lyman M. Law in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Cagliari, Sardinia. The Lyman M. Law, captained by S.W. McDonough, had embarked on its final journey from Stockton, Maine, with a crew of 10 on January 6, 1917, carrying a cargo of 60,000 bundles […]

1:28m read

1924

“Rhapsody In Blue,” by George Gershwin, performed for first time

During a concert staged at the Aeolian Hall in New York City on February 12, 1924, a young musician named George Gershwin, then known only as a composer of Broadway songs, seated himself at the piano to accompany the orchestra in the performance of a brand new piece of his own composition. Its title: “Rhapsody […]

2:06m read

1938

Judy Blume, popular young-adult author, is born

On February 12, 1938, best-selling author Judy Blume, known for her children’s books and young-adult novels, including Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, is born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Blume’s books have been beloved by several generations of readers; however, the explicit subject matter of some of […]

1:34m read

1941

German General Erwin Rommel arrives in Africa

German General Erwin Rommel arrives in Tripoli, Libya, with the newly formed Afrika Korps, to reinforce the beleaguered Italians’ position. In January 1941, Adolf Hitler established the Afrika Korps for the explicit purpose of helping his Italian Axis partner maintain territorial gains in North Africa. “[F]or strategic, political, and psychological reasons, Germany must assist Italy […]

1:46m read

1947

Christian Dior launches his scandalizing “New Look” postwar fashions

On February 12, 1947, as Europe continues to recover from the devastation of World War II, French fashion designer Christian Dior launches his first collection: the “New Look.” For some, its lavish sense of exaggerated femininity marked a welcome departure from wartime austerity. For others, it prompted harsh backlash. With features like rounded shoulders, a […]

1:18m read

1970

Joseph Searles III becomes first Black member of the New York Stock Exchange

On February 12, 1970, Joseph Searles III shatters a deeply entrenched color barrier by becoming the first Black member of the New York Stock Exchange. In the historically white dominated financial industry, people of color were routinely denied access not only to services, but to employment opportunities. Searles made history when, as a partner for […]

1:22m read

1972

Cambodians launch attack to retake Angkor Wat

About 6,000 Cambodian troops launch a major operation to wrestle the religious center of Angkor Wat from 4,000 North Vietnamese troops entrenched around the famous Buddhist temple complex, which had been seized in June 1970. Fighting continued throughout the month. Even with the addition of 4,000 more troops, the Cambodians were unsuccessful, and eventually abandoned […]

0:28m read

1973

Release of U.S. POWs begins

The release of U.S. POWs begins in Hanoi as part of the Paris peace settlement. The return of U.S. POWs began when North Vietnam released 142 of 591 U.S. prisoners at Hanoi’s Gia Lam Airport. Part of what was called Operation Homecoming, the first 20 POWs arrived to a hero’s welcome at Travis Air Force […]

0:34m read

1976

Actor Sal Mineo is killed in Hollywood

Actor Sal Mineo is stabbed to death in Hollywood, California. Mineo was parking his car behind his apartment when neighbors heard his cries for help. Some described a white man with brown hair fleeing the scene. By the time they reached Mineo, he was almost dead from a deep wound to his chest. He died […]

1:48m read

1999

President Bill Clinton acquitted on both articles of impeachment

On February 12, 1999, the five-week impeachment trial of Bill Clinton comes to an end, with the Senate voting to acquit the president on both articles of impeachment: perjury and obstruction of justice. In November 1995, Clinton began an affair with Monica Lewinsky, a 21-year-old unpaid intern. Over the course of a year and a […]

2002

Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic goes on trial for war crimes

Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic goes on trial for war crimes in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo.

2:26m read

2005

Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s “The Gates” opens in New York’s Central Park

On February 12, 2005, 7,503 orange curtains unfurl across New York City’s Central Park from thousands of gates. The art installation, Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s “The Gates,” will be gone by the end of the month, but it will leave a lasting impression and be remembered as one of the best-known and most beloved works of […]

1:36m read

2008

Hollywood writers’ strike ends after 100 days

Hollywood’s longest work stoppage since 1988 ends on February 12, 2008, when members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) vote by a margin of more than 90 percent to go back to work after a walkout that began the previous November 5. The writers’ strike began during the negotiation of the WGA’s latest contract […]

2:46m read

Asian History

20 videos

Asian History

What Is Sanskrit?

This ancient language shaped religion, literature and philosophy across South Asia.

Asian History

China’s Overlooked Role in World War II

China was a vital, but often forgotten, member of the Allies battling Japan—two years before the official start of World War II.

Asian History

5 Ways Japanese Culture Took Hold in America: From Sushi to Cinema

From sushi to cinema, Japanese culture has left a lasting mark on the United States.

About the author

HISTORY.com Editors

HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Christian Zapata, Cristiana Lombardo and Adrienne Donica.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.