In pre-Meiji restoration Japan, why did a Samurai shave his head before battle?
Answer: To indicate he was ready to die.
Source: The Emergence of Modern Japan by Janet E Hunter; General Historical Texts
On This Day
1761 – George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz are crowned King and Queen of Great Britain.
1857 – The Russian warship Lefort capsizes and sinks during a storm in the Gulf of Finland, killing all 826 aboard.
1862 – A preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation is released by Abraham Lincoln.
1896 – Queen Victoria surpasses her grandfather King George III as the longest reigning monarch in British history.In 2015 her great great granddaughter Elizabeth II surpasses Victoria’s record.
More at: History
HistoryWow’s Quick Shot Videos
A short, sharp hit of history in video format. Acclaimed Irish playwright and novelist Oscar Wilde was the toast of London society in the 1890s until things came decidedly unstuck through an association with a young British aristocrat, Lord Alfred Douglas, known as ‘Bosie’.
The source for this HistoryWow video is: Oscar and Bosie - A Fatal Passion by Trevor Fisher; General Historical Texts.
More Quick Shot Videos on HistoryWow's YouTube Channel: 
Who Am I?
- I was born on 29 April 1901 in Tokyo.
- I was the first son of the 21-year-old Crown Prince and 17-year-old Crown Princess.
- I was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Cambridge.
- I began my reign as Emperor of Japan in 1926.
- I died in 1987 and was given a state funeral.
Last week’s answer:
Augustus (63 BCE – 14 CE)
More at: History
HistoryWow’s Highlighted Historical Quotation
“There is dignity in serenity, there is dignity in clenched teeth and flashing eyes.”
Yukio Mishima, Japanese poet, author and nationalist.Source: Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima
More at: History
HistoryWow’s Featured Historical Figure of Note
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)German composer. His music is some of the most performed of the classical music repertoire. Remarkably, he continued to compose music despite his gradual loss of hearing.
More at: History
