US has successfully landed on Mars seven times.

How many? I don't know a lot about the two countries relationship.

 

They had a war starting in the 1890's. I think the 1936 attack was an extension of that. Historically I think land (islands) has the motivating factor.

 

*sees all the national dick waving*

Well this is escalating quickly. Time to jump into the dick-waving fire and get savagely burned. Wheeeee! *dives*

World War II was a combined efforts by the Allies to stop the Nazis, the Italians, and the Imperial Japanese from taking over, y'know, everything. We didn't enter until 1941 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor (Hawaii was not a state in 1941), and because we were attacked so late in the year, we didn't really participate in much military activity until 1942.

We did help (though a lot less in WWI as we entered within the last few months of the war), but do not make the mistake of assuming that we Yanks did all the fighting and dying. We were, like, the last country on the Allied side to jump in. Russia, of course, lost more men and supplies fighting the Germans. I'm not going to suggest everyone else sat around playing cards while Russia steamrolled into Berlin, but let's be honest, the Germans learned a hard lesson about pissing off Russia that war.

The Chinese had been fighting Japan since 1936, three years before Hitler decided to goosestep into Poland. I know little about the conflict, but from what I understand, they had much, much pent-up aggression toward each other. Oh, and Japan won the first Sino-Japanese war (which lasted from 1894-1895.)

By the Twelve Gods, people, now you've gotten me interested in this.

Spoiler: The Sino-Japanese War Abridged

OK, so here's the stick: You basically had China (who more or less liked tradition and the old ways), Korea (China's cliental state, meaning they had to basically do whatever China wanted), and Japan (who was embracing modernity so hard that it was painful to watch.)

The Koreans, led by their pro-Japanese leader, Kim OK-kyun wanted to be more like Japan, they wanted to be more modern, so this freaked China out quite a lot. See, theirs was a dynasty, a traditional line going way back into 1644 and, well, they kind of wanted to keep it that way.

One day, Kim OK-kyun was lured into a trap and assassinated. This angered the Japanese as you can well imagine and no doubt they were pointing fingers at China saying it was all their fault. A bit later, a rebellion broke out in Korea that the Chinese made an attempt to stamp down. The Japanese saw this as the final straw, as the thing that went too far and apparently violated a compact. Thus the Sino-Japanese war.

After a scant 8 or so month of absolutely nothing but the Japanese winning, China called it quits. Korea was granted independence and a bunch of territory was given over to the Japanese. The Chinese people, in the meantime, felt that this was a sure sign that their long dynasty had, at long last, failed them, so by 1912, the Qing Dynasty was no more.

SOURCE:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/546176/Sino-Japanese-War

You could make the argument that the second Sino-Japanese war was a continuation of the first one because of land grab and expansionist ideals (let's just say that was a very popular word in the early 1900s.) Though I'm not sure why Japan went and invaded mainland China. Resources? A final "Nyah, nyah, we're better than you"? A way of humiliating them? All three combined?

 

Maybe on this matter which i'm not denying that it is invalid, but that doesn't mean i'm entirely misinformed on the subject as a whole. Misconceptions are frequent. You are right, that's on me.

 

That's funny because in my state they made sure we knew it was 1939. It depends on how good the schooling is in a specific state or area.

 

Yeah, apologies for that, I was just being a bit of a snarky prick.

 

As was I. Sometimes i get particular events like these mixed up and end up raising eyebrows lol

 

I had to think about this thread, when I encountered this image, and one might say it is striking

 

Why is is striking? Is there something on that flag that is a joke or satirical? Otherwise it's just stupid.

 

Well, then that's just your opinion. Reread the sentence, for you might have misunderstood what I meant was to be striking (namely the actual image).

 

Sorry @Boger, still don't get it. I cannot imagine anything about that image that is striking.

 

So be it. I don't mind.

 

I was hoping you'd explain what you were referring to.

 

Sure: the image is not striking itself but it's use in this forum, as we see it in the context of this thread you opened is kind of striking, I say.

 

I don't get it either, @Boger.

 

The flag, or why I posted it at all? The former would be understandable to those who don't speak Arabic (like me).

 

It's from a place where artists gather their works of social commentary as you'd find similarly in newpaper's cartoon section.

 

I'm only more confused.

 

By "like me" do you mean that a) you also don't speak Arabic, or; b) you do speak Arabic. If it is a) I don't get why it was posted either, if it is b) why don't you just translate it for those of us who don't speak Arabic?

 

fool me once

Neat.

Well,

A

 

I'm pretty sure it's just an ISIS flag.

 

Now you're just yanking chains, @Boger.

 

I don't understand that expression, GingerCoffee.

 

I assumed as much, which means I really don't get it.

But I am going to persist with trying none-the-less. The image of a Nazi flag on the moon has become such an alternative-history cliché that I am quite immune to these sort of images though; so I am unlikely to have any particular response to this one.

 

I have never heard of that one.