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Phan Xich Long (1893–1916) was a 20th-century Vietnamese mystic and geomancer who claimed to be the Emperor of Vietnam. He attempted to exploit religion as a cover for his own political ambitions, having started his own ostensibly religious organisation. Claiming to be a descendant of Emperor Ham Nghi, Long staged a ceremony to crown himself, before trying to seize power in 1913 by launching an armed uprising against the colonial rule of French Indochina. His supporters launched an attack on Saigon in March 1913, drinking potions that purportedly made them invisible and planting bombs at several locations. The insurrection against the French colonial administration failed when none of the bombs detonated and the supposedly invisible supporters were apprehended. The French authorities imprisoned Long and many of his supporters, who openly admitted their aim of overthrowing French authorities at the trial. In 1916, southern Vietnam was hit by uprisings against French rule, with many of Long's supporters attempting to break him out of jail. The French easily repelled the attack on the jail, decimating Long's movement. Following the attempted breakout, Long and his key supporters were put to death. Many of the remnants of his support base went on to join what later became the Cao Dai, a major religious sect in Vietnam. (more...)

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November 16: International Day for Tolerance

• 1384 – Jadwiga was crowned "King of Poland" despite being a ten-year-old girl.
• 1532 – Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire: Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro orchestrated a surprise attack in Cajamarca, Peru, capturing Sapa Inca Atahualpa.
• 1885 – After a five-day trial following the North-West Rebellion, Louis Riel, Canadian rebel leader of the Métis and "Father of Manitoba", was executed by hanging for high treason.
• 1938 – The psychedelic drug LSD (molecule pictured) was first synthesized by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland.
• 1973 – U.S. President Richard Nixon signed the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act, authorizing the construction of the Alaska Pipeline, an oil pipeline connecting the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Alaska.
• 2002 – The first case of the respiratory disease Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was recorded in Guangdong, China.

• More events: November 15 – November 16 – November 17

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