UCLA Asia Institute

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Today in Asian History

July 28

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1873 Japan adopted a new land tax system, most peasants required to pay increased taxes.

1976 Tangshan earthquake, Hebei province, China; magnitude 7.8 with 350,000 official deaths (cf San Francisco's 1907 quake 700 killed, Tokyo's 1923 quake 99,300 killed).

"The deadliest earthquake in the twentieth century" is described in detail, including maps and a useful bibliography at a University of Arizona Education Geology Education website. Scroll to the bottom of the page devoted to the Tan-Lu fault line to see a picture of a seismometer invented by Zhang Heng in CE 132. A Fujita Corporation (a Japanese think tank) website on earthquake prediction discusses how ground water levels may suggest the likelihood of an earthquake and discusses how the Tangshan quake supports this thesis.

1997 Seni Pramoj, three times Thailand’s prime minister, died.

The AI "Today in Asian History" page was compiled by Clayton Dube. He welcomes your comments and suggestions. Send them to <cdube@isop.ucla.edu>.

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