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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s Escapades, and Other Lesser Known Historic Events

William Carver - Butch Cassidy
Butch Cassidy, far right, The Sundance Kid, far left, and other members of the Wild Bunch gang. Wikimedia

30. The Rise of the Red Eyebrows

Red Eyebrows Uprising. The History of China

In response to the turmoil and dangers, and to protect the interests of China’s peasants, a secret society was founded. Its leader spoke through mediums and organized bands of armed peasants known as the Red Eyebrows. They took their name from the color of the eyebrows of their members, who painted their faces to look like demons. They began their armed resistance in 15 AD, and their popularity grew steadily. By 17 AD, the Red Eyebrows’ armed defiance had become a widespread peasant revolt, led by a man named Fan Chong.

In the imperial palace, Wang Mang proved politically incompetent, and in 19 AD, he responded to the peasant revolts by raising taxes. That only fueled and supercharged the various uprisings. They soon consolidated into a massive insurrection, as the disparate rebel bands united under the banner of the Red Eyebrows and the leadership of Fan Chong.

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A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.

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