title: George Washington Carver

text: Carver worked on improving soils, growing crops with low inputs, and using species that fixed nitrogen (hence, the work on the cowpea and the peanut). Carver wrote in 'The Need of Scientific Agriculture in the South': "The virgin fertility of our soils and the vast amount of unskilled labor have been more of a curse than a blessing to agriculture. This exhaustive system for cultivation, the destruction of forest, the rapid and almost constant decomposition of organic matter, have made our agricultural problem one requiring more brains than of the North, East or West.


title: George Washington Carver

text: Carver worked for years to create a company to market his products. The most important was the Carver Penol Company, which sold a mixture of creosote and peanuts as a patent medicine for respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis. Sales were lackluster and the product was ineffective according to the Food and Drug Administration. Other ventures were The Carver Products Company and the Carvoline Company. Carvoline Antiseptic Hair Dressing was a mix of peanut oil and lanolin. Carvoline Rubbing Oil was a peanut oil for massages.


title: George Washington Carver

text: Carver is often mistakenly credited with the invention of peanut butter. By the time Carver published "How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing it For Human Consumption" in 1916, many methods of preparation of peanut butter had been developed or patented by various pharmacists, doctors and food scientists working in the US and Canada. The Aztecs were known to have made peanut butter from ground peanuts as early as the 15th century. Canadian pharmacist Marcellus Gilmore Edson was awarded (for its manufacture) in 1884, 12 years before Carver began his work at Tuskegee.


title: George Washington Carver

text: Carver is also associated with developing sweet potato products. In his 1922 sweet potato bulletin, Carver listed a few dozen recipes, "many of which I have copied verbatim from Bulletin No. 129, U. S. Department of Agriculture". Carver's records included the following sweet potato products: 73 dyes, 17 wood fillers, 14 candies, 5 library pastes, 5 breakfast foods, 4 starches, 4 flours, and 3 molasses. He also had listings for vinegars, dry coffee and instant coffee, candy, after-dinner mints, orange drops, and lemon drops.


title: George Washington Carver

text: During his more than four decades at Tuskegee, Carver's official published work consisted mainly of 44 practical bulletins for farmers. His first bulletin in 1898 was on feeding acorns to farm animals. His final bulletin in 1943 was about the peanut. He also published six bulletins on sweet potatoes, five on cotton, and four on cowpeas. Some other individual bulletins dealt with alfalfa, wild plum, tomato, ornamental plants, corn, poultry, dairying, hogs, preserving meats in hot weather, and nature study in schools.


title: George Washington Carver

text: His most popular bulletin, "How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing it for Human Consumption", was first published in 1916 and was reprinted many times. It gave a short overview of peanut crop production and contained a list of recipes from other agricultural bulletins, cookbooks, magazines, and newspapers, such as the "Peerless Cookbook", "Good Housekeeping", and "Berry's Fruit Recipes". Carver's was far from the first American agricultural bulletin devoted to peanuts, but his bulletins did seem to be more popular and widespread than previous ones.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Anthony Edward Stark, more commonly known as Tony Stark, is a fictional character primarily portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—commonly known by his alias, Iron Man. Stark is initially depicted as an industrialist, genius inventor, and playboy who is CEO of Stark Industries. Initially the chief weapons manufacturer for the U.S. military, he has a change of heart and redirects his technical knowledge into the creation of mechanized suits of armor which he uses to defend against those that would threaten peace around the world. He becomes a founding member and leader of the Avengers. Following his failed Ultron Program, the internal conflict within the Avengers due to the Sokovia Accords, and Thanos successfully erasing half of all life in the Blip, Stark retires, marries Pepper Potts, and they have a daughter named Morgan. However, Stark rejoins the Avengers on a final mission to undo Thanos' actions. He creates time travel, and the Avengers successfully restore trillions of lives across the universe. However, Stark inevitably sacrifices his life to defeat Thanos and his army. Stark chooses Peter Parker as a successor.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Stark is one of the central figures of the MCU, having appeared in eleven films as of 2022. The character and Downey's performance have been credited with helping to cement the MCU as a multi-billion-dollar franchise, with Stark's evolution often being considered the defining arc of the series.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Alternate versions of Stark from within the MCU multiverse appear in the animated series "What If...?" (2021), voiced by Mick Wingert, reprising his role from previous non-MCU animated media.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Tony Stark first premiered as a comic book character, in "Tales of Suspense" #39 (cover dated March 1963), a collaboration among editor and story-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, story-artist Don Heck, and cover-artist and character-designer Jack Kirby. Lee wanted to create the "quintessential capitalist", a character that would go against the spirit of the times and Marvel's readership. Lee based this playboy's looks and personality on Howard Hughes, as "one of the most colorful men of our time. He was an inventor, an adventurer, a multi-billionaire, a ladies' man and finally a nutcase." The character's original costume was a bulky gray armored suit, replaced by a golden version in the second story (issue #40, April 1963), and redesigned as sleeker, red-and-golden armor in issue #48 (Dec. 1963) by Steve Ditko. Lee and Kirby included Iron Man in "The Avengers" #1 (Sept. 1963) as a founding member of the superhero team. In the mid-2000s, with a number of movies having been made from other Marvel properties licensed to other studios, Kevin Feige realized that Marvel still owned the rights to the core members of the Avengers, which included Iron Man. Feige, a self-professed "fanboy", envisioned creating a shared universe just as creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had done with their comic books in the early 1960s.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Jon Favreau, who was selected to direct the first "Iron Man" film, felt Downey's past made him an appropriate choice for the part, and that the actor could make Stark a "likable asshole," but also depict an authentic emotional journey once he won over the audience. Ultimately however, Downey ended up being the choice the studio made for the first character in their ever-expansive cinematic universe. Favreau was also attracted to Downey from his performance in "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (2005), with Downey frequently conversing with that film's director, Shane Black, about the script and dialogue in "Iron Man".


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark was born on May 29, 1970, in Manhattan, New York to Howard Stark, a famous genius inventor and businessman, and Maria Stark, a socialite and philanthropist. Growing up under the eye of family butler Edwin Jarvis, his life was characterized by a cold and affectionless relationship with his father. Seeing that his son could achieve great things, Howard tried to inspire him with constant talks about his own role in the creation of Captain America. This instead embittered Stark, who felt that his father was taking more pride in his creations than in his family. A brilliant and unique child prodigy, Stark attended MIT for two years starting at age 14, and graduated "summa cum laude" at 17.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: On December 16, 1991, when Stark was 21, his parents went away to the Bahamas, but planned to stop at the Pentagon to deliver Super Soldier Serum Howard had redeveloped. Instead, both are killed in a car accident—later revealed to be an assassination carried out by the Winter Soldier, who was mind-controlled by Hydra to steal the serum. As a result, Stark inherited his father's company, becoming CEO of Stark Industries. Over the years, he became well known as a weapons designer and inventor, and lived a playboy lifestyle. At a New Year's Eve party for the new millennium, he attended a conference in Bern where he met scientists Maya Hansen, inventor of the Extremis experimental regenerative treatment, and Aldrich Killian, rejecting an offer to work for Killian's Advanced Idea Mechanics.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In 2010, Stark travels to war-torn Afghanistan with his friend and military liaison Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes to demonstrate Stark's new "Jericho" missile. After the demonstration, the convoy is ambushed and Stark is critically wounded and imprisoned by a terrorist group, the Ten Rings. Fellow captive Ho Yinsen, a doctor, implants an electromagnet into Stark's chest to keep shrapnel shards from reaching his heart and killing him.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Stark and Yinsen secretly build a small, powerful electric generator called an arc reactor to power Stark's electromagnet and a suit of powered armor. When the Ten Rings attack the workshop, Yinsen sacrifices himself to divert them while the suit is completed. The armored Stark battles his way out of the cave to find the dying Yinsen, then burns the Ten Rings' weapons in anger and flies away, crashing in the desert. Rescued by Rhodes, Stark returns home to announce that his company will no longer manufacture weapons. In his home workshop, Stark builds a sleeker, more powerful version of his improvised armor suit as well as a more powerful arc reactor.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Stark learns that Obadiah Stane has been engaged in arms trafficking to criminals worldwide, and is staging a coup to replace him as Stark Industries' CEO. Stark, in his new armor, flies to Afghanistan and saves the villagers. Stane ambushes Stark at his home and takes the arc reactor from his chest, revealing that Stane was responsible for Stark's captivity. Stark manages to get to his original reactor to replace it and defeats Stane. The next day, at a press conference, Stark publicly admits to being "Iron Man."


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Six months later in 2011, Stark's fame has grown and he uses his Iron Man suit for peaceful means, resisting government pressure to sell his designs. He reinstitutes the Stark Expo to continue his father's legacy, but discovers that the palladium core in the arc reactor that keeps Stark alive and powers the armor is slowly poisoning him. Growing increasingly reckless and despondent about his impending death, he appoints Pepper Potts CEO of Stark Industries.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Stark competes in the Monaco Historic Grand Prix and is attacked mid-race by Ivan Vanko, who wields electrified whips powered by a miniature arc reactor. Stark dons his Mark V armor and defeats Vanko, but the suit is severely damaged. At his birthday party, Stark gets drunk while wearing the Mark IV suit. Rhodes dons Stark's Mark II prototype armor and tries to restrain him. The fight ends in a stalemate, so Rhodes confiscates the Mark II for the U.S. Air Force.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Stark discovers a hidden message from his father, a diagram of the structure of a new element, which Stark synthesizes. At the Expo, Stark's rival Justin Hammer unveils Vanko's armored drones, led by Rhodes in a heavily weaponized version of the Mark II armor. Stark arrives in the Mark VI armor to warn Rhodes, but Vanko remotely takes control of both the drones and Rhodes' armor and attacks Iron Man. Stark and Rhodes together defeat Vanko and his drones. After narrowly saving Pepper Potts from a self-destructing drone, they start a relationship.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In 2012, when the Asgardian Loki arrives and begins menacing Earth, seizing the Tesseract from a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, Fury activates the Avengers Initiative and Agent Phil Coulson visits Stark to have him review the research of Erik Selvig on the Tesseract. In Stuttgart, Steve Rogers and Loki fight briefly until Tony Stark appears in his Iron Man armor, resulting in Loki's surrender. While Loki is being escorted to S.H.I.E.L.D., Thor arrives and frees him, hoping to convince him to abandon his plan and return to Asgard. After a confrontation with Stark and Rogers, Thor agrees to take Loki to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flying aircraft carrier, the Helicarrier.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: The Avengers become divided, both over how to approach Loki and the revelation that S.H.I.E.L.D. plans to harness the Tesseract to develop weapons. Agents possessed by Loki attack the Helicarrier, disabling one of its engines in flight, which Stark and Rogers must work to restart. Loki escapes, and Stark and Rogers realize that for Loki, simply defeating them will not be enough; he needs to overpower them publicly to validate himself as ruler of Earth. Loki uses the Tesseract to open a wormhole in New York City above the Avengers Tower to allow the Chitauri fleet in space to invade. Fury's superiors from the World Security Council attempt to end the invasion by launching a nuclear missile at Midtown Manhattan. Stark intercepts the missile, and in an apparent sacrifice of his own life, takes it through the wormhole toward the Chitauri fleet. The missile detonates, destroying the Chitauri mothership and disabling their forces on Earth. Stark's suit runs out of power, and he falls back through the wormhole but the Hulk saves him from crashing into the ground. Stark and the other Avengers capture Loki and Thor takes custody of him.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Stark develops PTSD from his experiences during the alien invasion, resulting in panic attacks. Restless, he builds several dozen Iron Man suits, creating friction with girlfriend Pepper Potts. Seven months after the invasion, Happy Hogan is badly injured in one of a string of bombings by a terrorist known only as the Mandarin, Stark issues a televised threat to him, who destroys Stark's Malibu home with helicopter gunships. Stark escapes in an Iron Man suit and crashes in rural Tennessee. His experimental armor lacks sufficient power to return to California, and the world believes him dead.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Stark traces the Mandarin to Miami and infiltrates his headquarters, where he discovers the Mandarin was just an actor named Trevor Slattery. Aldrich Killian reveals himself to be the real Mandarin and captures Stark. He escapes and reunites with Rhodes, discovering that Killian intends to attack U.S. President Ellis aboard Air Force One. Stark saves the surviving passengers and crew but cannot stop Killian from abducting Ellis and destroying Air Force One. Killian intends to kill Ellis on an oil platform on live television. On the platform, Stark goes to save Potts – who had been kidnapped and subjected to Extremis — as Rhodes saves the president. Stark summons his Iron Man suits, controlled remotely by J.A.R.V.I.S., to provide air support. Potts, having survived the Extremis procedure, kills Killian. Stark orders J.A.R.V.I.S. to remotely destroy all of the Iron Man suits as a sign of his devotion to Potts, and undergoes surgery to remove the shrapnel embedded near his heart. He pitches his obsolete chest arc reactor into the sea, musing that he will always be Iron Man.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In 2015, Stark and the Avengers raid a Hydra facility commanded by Wolfgang von Strucker, who has been experimenting on siblings Pietro and Wanda Maximoff using the scepter previously wielded by Loki. While the team fights outside, Stark enters the lab and finds the scepter, along with Chitauri ships from the Battle of New York under construction. Wanda sneaks up behind him and uses her mind manipulation powers to give him a haunting vision: the death of all the Avengers except him. Stark awakens from the vision and retrieves Loki's scepter.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Returning to the Avengers Tower, Stark and Bruce Banner discover an artificial intelligence within the scepter's gem, and secretly decide to use it to complete Stark's "Ultron" global defense program. The unexpectedly sentient Ultron eliminates Stark's A.I. J.A.R.V.I.S. and attacks the Avengers. Escaping with the scepter, Ultron builds an army of robot drones, kills Strucker and recruits the Maximoffs, who hold Stark responsible for their parents' deaths by his company's weapons. The Avengers find and attack Ultron in Johannesburg, but Wanda subdues most of the team with personalized, disturbing visions, causing Banner to transform into the Hulk and rampage until Stark stops him with his anti-Hulk armor.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: After hiding at Clint Barton's house, Nick Fury arrives and encourages Stark and the others to form a plan to stop Ultron, who is discovered to have forced the team's friend Dr. Helen Cho to perfect a new body for him. Rogers, Romanoff, and Barton find Ultron and retrieve the synthetic body, but Ultron captures Romanoff. Returning to Avengers Tower, the Avengers fight amongst themselves when Stark and Banner secretly upload J.A.R.V.I.S.—who is still operational after hiding from Ultron inside the Internet—into the synthetic body. Thor returns to help activate the body, explaining that the gem on its brow was part of his vision. This "Vision" and the Maximoffs, now on their side, accompany Stark and the Avengers to Sokovia, where Ultron has used the remaining vibranium to build a machine to lift part of the capital city skyward, intending to crash it into the ground to cause global extinction. One of Ultron's drones is able to activate the machine. The city plummets, but Stark and Thor overload the machine and shatter the landmass. The Avengers establish a new base in upstate New York, and Stark leaves the team.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In 2016, U.S. Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross informs the Avengers that the United Nations (UN) is preparing to pass the Sokovia Accords, which will establish UN oversight of the team. The Avengers are divided: Stark supports oversight because of his role in Ultron's creation and Sokovia's devastation, while Rogers has more faith in their judgment than that of a government. Circumstances lead to Rogers and fellow super-soldier Bucky Barnes—framed for a terrorist attack—going rogue, along with Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Clint Barton, and Scott Lang. Stark assembles a team composed of Natasha Romanoff, T'Challa, James Rhodes, Vision, and Peter Parker to capture the renegades at Leipzig/Halle Airport. However, during the battle, Rogers and Barnes are able to escape and Rhodes is paralyzed. Stark learns that Barnes was framed and convinces Wilson to give him Rogers' destination. Without informing Ross, Stark goes to the Siberian Hydra facility and strikes a truce with Rogers and Barnes. They find that the other super soldiers have been killed by Helmut Zemo, who plays footage that reveals that Barnes killed Stark's parents. Stark turns on them, dismembering Barnes' robotic arm. After an intense fight, Rogers finally manages to disable Stark's Iron Man armor and departs with Barnes, leaving his shield behind. Stark returns to New York to work on exoskeletal leg braces to allow Rhodes to walk again. Steve Rogers sends a mobile phone to Stark to keep in contact if needed. When Ross calls informing him that Rogers has broken the others out of the Raft, Stark refuses to help.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Two months later, Peter Parker resumes his high school studies, with Stark telling him he is not yet ready to become a full Avenger. Stark rescues Parker from nearly drowning after an encounter with Adrian Toomes and warns Parker against further involvement with the criminals. When another weapon from Toomes malfunctions during a fight with Parker and tears the Staten Island Ferry in half, Stark helps Parker save the passengers before admonishing him for his recklessness and confiscating his suit. Parker realizes Toomes is planning to hijack a plane transporting weapons from Stark Tower to the team's new headquarters. After Parker thwarts the plan and saves Toomes from an explosion, Stark admits he was wrong about Parker and invites him to become an Avenger full-time, but Parker declines. Potts emerges from a packed press conference, called to make the announcement, and Stark decides to use the opportunity to instead propose to Potts. At the end of the film, he returns the suit to Peter.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In 2018, Stark and Potts are in a New York City park discussing having children, when Banner, who had disappeared after the Battle of Sokovia, crash-lands at the Sanctum Sanctorum. Banner relays a warning to Stephen Strange, Wong, and Stark that the mad Titan Thanos plans to use the Infinity Stones to kill half of all life in the universe. Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian arrive to retrieve the Time Stone, prompting Strange, Stark, Wong, and Parker to confront them. Although Cull Obsidian is incapacitated, Strange is captured by Maw. Stark and Parker sneak aboard Maw's spaceship to rescue him.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: After successfully freeing Strange and killing Maw, the trio proceed to Thanos’ home planet Titan, where they meet members of the Guardians of the Galaxy. They form a plan to confront Thanos and remove the Infinity Gauntlet, but Thanos overpowers the group and stabs Stark in the abdomen. Strange surrenders the Time Stone in exchange for Thanos sparing Stark. Thanos takes the stone and departs for Earth, retrieves the final stone, and activates the Infinity Gauntlet. Stark and Nebula, stranded on Titan, watch as Parker and others are turned to dust.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Stark and Nebula are rescued from space by Carol Danvers and returned to Earth, where Stark chooses to retire and raise his daughter Morgan, with Potts. Later, He constructs a secret beach house lab in Mexico for Banner to merge his two identities and spent some time with him including making a tiki bar. In 2023, when Scott Lang hypothesizes a way to bring back the fallen, the Avengers approach Stark, who initially refuses, considering the idea dangerous. Despite this, he examines the matter privately, discovers time travel, and agrees to help. The Avengers reassemble and plan to retrieve the Infinity Stones from the past to undo Thanos' actions. Traveling to 2012, Stark fails to retrieve the Space Stone following the Battle of New York and instead goes further back to the 1970s to steal it from a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, where he has a meaningful conversation with a younger version of his father, Howard.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: The Avengers successfully obtain all of the Infinity Stones before returning to the present. The Stones are incorporated into a gauntlet made by Stark, which Banner then uses to resurrect those that were disintegrated by Thanos. However, they are followed by an alternate version of Thanos and his army, who are summoned to 2023 by an alternate version of Nebula. During the ensuing battle, Thanos obtains Stark's gauntlet and the two of them wrestle for control of it. Thanos is able to overpower Stark before attempting another snap but discovers that Stark has transferred the Infinity Stones to his own armor. Stark activates the Gauntlet and uses it to disintegrate Thanos and all of his forces and save the universe, but fatally injures himself in the process. He dies surrounded by Rhodes, Parker, and Potts.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Eight months later, as the world continues to mourn Stark, Parker receives glasses that can access Stark's artificial intelligence E.D.I.T.H., with a message that establishes him as Stark's chosen successor. Parker is however tricked by disgruntled former Stark Industries employee Quentin Beck into giving him the glasses, as Parker sees him as a more worthy successor. Beck, leading a team of other ex-Stark Industries employees such as William Ginter Riva, and angered at being fired by Stark, seeks to fill the vacancy left by Stark as Iron Man by using the software he developed for Stark, B.A.R.F., to augment illusions of creatures known as the Elementals, presenting himself as a hero known as Mysterio in "defeating" them. He uses Stark's glasses to conduct drone attacks in London, targeting Parker. Parker eventually foils Beck's plots and retakes the glasses, and he designs his own Spider-Man suit using technology from Stark Industries, in a similar manner to Stark designing his first Iron Man armor.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In an alternate 2012, Stark and the Avengers are victorious over Loki during the Battle of New York, however the time traveling Stark and Scott Lang from 2023 alter 2012-Stark's history when they attempt to steal the briefcase containing the Tesseract. As 2012-Stark and 2012-Thor argue with Alexander Pierce and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents over custody of Loki and the Tesseract, Lang, using his Ant-Man suit, shrinks down and enters into 2012-Stark's chest arc reactor, pulling a plug that gives him a cardiac dysrhythmia. 2012-Thor uses Mjolnir to restart the reactor, saving 2012-Stark's life. 2023-Stark obtains the briefcase but loses it when 2012-Hulk smashes through the elevator. The Tesseract falls out, and with 2012-Stark and Thor distracted, Loki picks it up and teleports away.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Several alternate versions of Stark appear in the animated series "What If...?", in which he is voiced by Mick Wingert.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In an alternate 2011, Stark is seemingly killed by Romanoff after she injects him with a temporary antidote to his arc reactor poisoning. Fury later deduces the culprit as Hank Pym.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In an alternate 2018, Stark is infected with a quantum virus and is turned into a zombie along with the Avengers in San Francisco. When Bruce Banner crash-lands in the New York Sanctum to warn the heroes of Thanos's arrival, a zombified Stark attacks him alongside Stephen Strange and Wong, but is quickly killed by Hope van Dyne.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In an alternate 2010, Erik "Killmonger" Stevens prevents Stark from being kidnapped by the Ten Rings in Afghanistan. Stark returns to the United States, where Killmonger exposes Obadiah Stane's involvement in the ambush plot, and Stark names him the new COO of Stark Industries. Stark and Killmonger build a humanoid combat drone using the vibranium of N'Jobu's ring, but Killmonger betrays and kills Stark, setting off a war between the United States and Wakanda.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In an alternate 2015, Ultron successfully uploads his consciousness into a new vibranium body, becoming powerful enough to kill Stark and most of the Avengers, eradicating all life on Earth.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In an alternate universe, Stark is a close ally of Gamora after the death of Thanos by her hands. When the Watcher is collecting heroes to fight a multiverse-breaking version of Ultron, he selects the Gamora of this world, but pointedly excludes Stark.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Robert Downey Jr. portrays Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films "Iron Man" (2008), "Iron Man 2" (2010), "The Avengers" (2012), "Iron Man 3" (2013), "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015), "Captain America: Civil War" (2016), "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017), "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018), and "Avengers: Endgame" (2019). In addition, Downey makes an uncredited cameo appearance in "The Incredible Hulk" (2008).


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In "" (2019), Stark appears in archival footage from "Captain America: Civil War", and also appears via archive footage in the Marvel One-Shot "The Consultant" (2011). Archival footage of the character also appears in "Glorious Purpose", the first episode of the Disney+ television series "Loki".


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In September 2019, "Deadline Hollywood" reported that Downey would appear in "Black Widow" (2021) in his MCU role as Stark; an early version of the script included the end scene from "Captain America: Civil War" between Stark and Natasha Romanoff. This was not in the final film, with director Cate Shortland stating that she and Kevin Feige decided against adding Stark or any other heroes to the film in order for Romanoff to stand on her own, and screenwriter Eric Pearson adding that it was determined that the scene did not add anything new to the story.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Stark returns in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?", although Mick Wingert voices the character instead; Wingert has previously provided the voice for Iron Man in multiple non-MCU video games and animated productions since 2017.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Downey had an office next to Favreau during pre-production, which allowed him greater involvement in the screenwriting process, especially adding humor to the film. Downey explained, "What I usually hate about these [superhero] movies [is] when suddenly the guy that you were digging turns into Dudley Do-Right, and then you're supposed to buy into all his 'Let's go do some good!' That Eliot Ness-in-a-cape-type thing. What was really important to me was to not have him change so much that he's unrecognizable. When someone used to be a schmuck and they're not anymore, hopefully they still have a sense of humor." To prepare, Downey spent five days a week weight training and practiced martial arts to get into shape, which he said benefited him because "it's hard not to have a personality meltdown ... after about several hours in that suit. I'm calling up every therapeutic moment I can think of to just get through the day." The revelation at the end of "Iron Man" of Stark's alter ego was improvised by Stark's actor Robert Downey Jr.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: For the first film, Favreau and Downey had been handed an existing script and worked from it. In contrast, for "Iron Man 2", the duo were given more freedom to conceive of the story for themselves, in which Stark struggles to keep his technology out of the hands of the government and rival weapons makers. On Stark being a hero, Downey said "It's kind of heroic, but really kind of on his own behalf. So I think there's probably a bit of an imposter complex and no sooner has he said, 'I am Iron Man –' that he's now really wondering what that means. If you have all this cushion like he does and the public is on your side and you have immense wealth and power, I think he's way too insulated to be okay."


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: "The Avengers" introduced Stark's role as one of an ensemble of heroes who must come together to defend the Earth from an alien invasion led by the god Loki. Downey initially pushed director Joss Whedon to make Stark the lead of the 2012 "Avengers" film: "Well, I said, 'I need to be in the opening sequence. I don't know what you're thinking, but Tony needs to drive this thing.' He was like, 'Okay, let's try that.' We tried it and it didn't work, because this is a different sort of thing, the story and the idea and the theme is the theme, and everybody is just an arm of the octopus." About the character's evolution from previous films, Downey said, "In "Iron Man", which was an origin story, he was his own epiphany and redemption of sorts. "Iron Man 2" is all about not being an island, dealing with legacy issues and making space for others... In "The Avengers", he's throwing it down with the others". At the climax of the film, Stark guides a nuclear missile through an interstellar portal to destroy the main alien vessel, demonstrating a willingness to sacrifice his life to save the Earth.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In "Iron Man 3", Stark struggles to come to terms with his near-death experience in "The Avengers", suffering from anxiety attacks. On making a third "Iron Man" film, Downey said, "My sense of it is that we need to leave it all on the field—whatever that means in the end. You can pick several different points of departure for that." On following up "The Avengers", Downey said they "tried to be practical, in a post-"Avengers" world. What are his challenges now? What are some limitations that might be placed on him? And what sort of threat would have him, as usual, ignore those limitations?" Screenwriter Drew Pearce compared Stark in "Iron Man 3" to an American James Bond for both being "heroes with a sense of danger to them, and unpredictability" even if Stark was a "free agent" instead of an authority figure like Bond. He also likened Tony to the protagonists of 1970s films such as "The French Connection" (1971), where "the idiosyncrasies of the heroes is what made them exciting."


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In "", Stark has become the benefactor of the Avengers. On how his character evolves after the events of "Iron Man 3", Downey said, "I think he realizes that tweaking and making all the suits in the world—which is what he has been doing—still didn't work for that thing of his tour of duty that left him a little PTSD. So his focus is more on how can we make it so that there's no problem to begin with. That, you know, there's a bouncer at our planet's rope. That's the big idea." The events of "Age of Ultron" lead directly into the conflict of "", in which Stark leads a faction of Avengers in support of the regulation of individuals with superpowers. Anthony Russo said that Stark's egomania allowed the writers "to bring him to a point in his life where he was willing to submit to an authority, where he felt it was the right thing to do." Joe Russo added that because of the visions Stark saw in "Age of Ultron", he now has a guilt complex which "drives him to make very specific decisions", calling his emotional arc "very complicated". Downey's personal trainer Eric Oram stated that the trick to pitting Rogers against Stark, "is to show Iron Man using the 'minimum force' necessary to win the fight". Marvel initially wanted Downey's part to be smaller, but "Downey wanted Stark to have a more substantial role in the film's plot." "Variety" noted that Downey would receive $40 million-plus backend for his participation, as well as an additional payout if the film outperformed "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", as Marvel would attribute that success to Downey's presence.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In "", Stark is Peter Parker's mentor and is the creator of the U.S. Department of Damage Control. Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group chairman Thomas Rothman noted that, beyond the commercial advantage of featuring Downey in the film, the inclusion of Stark was important due to the relationship established between him and Parker in "Captain America: Civil War". Watts noted that after Stark's actions in "Civil War", introducing Parker to life as an Avenger, there are "a lot of repercussions to that. Is it a first step towards Tony as some sort of mentor figure? Is he comfortable with that?" Co-writer Jonathan Goldstein compared Stark to Ethan Hawke's father character in "Boyhood" (2014).


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Downey reprised the role in "" (2018) and "" (2019). "Iron Man 3" director Shane Black stated in March 2013 that "There has been a lot of discussion about it: 'Is this the last "Iron Man" for Robert [Downey Jr.]?' Something tells me that it will not be the case, and [he] will be seen in a fourth, or fifth." Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that the character of Stark would continue to be featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe regardless of Downey's involvement. Also in March, Downey said he was open to extending his contract, stating he feels "there's a couple other things we've gotta do" with the character. In June 2013, when Downey signed on to return as Iron Man in "Avengers: Age of Ultron", he also signed on for a third "Avengers" film. In a July 2014 interview during the filming of "Avengers: Age of Ultron", Downey expressed his interest in continuing to play Iron Man. "It's down to Kevin [Feige] and Ike [Perlmutter, CEO of Marvel Entertainment] and Disney to come to us with what the proposal is, and that’s on us to agree or disagree," Downey said. "When things are going great, there's a lot of agreement." He added, "It's that thing of: Why give up the belt when it feels like you can barely get jabbed?" In April 2016, Downey expressed openness to appearing in a potential fourth "Iron Man" film, saying "I could do one more." Downey's Marvel contract expired following "Avengers: Endgame", where Stark dies.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Stark's fashion sense evolved over the course of the films, initially being described as "woefully basic... mostly saggy jeans, henleys and tank tops—with an occasional suit", but improving by the time of the first "Avengers" film, and becoming more sophisticated by "Civil War", as Stark matured and accepted greater responsibility for the consequences of his actions. Downey expressed the desire for his wardrobe to reflect that "you still know he's Tony Stark, and you still know that he's the richest man in the world". Stark's clothing has been described as alternating between "a sweet suit with some shades" in his corporate look, "or a t-shirt, jeans, and an arc reactor" in his personal time. His fashion sense has been referred to as "part Mob boss and part "Big Bang Theory" cast member", and alternating "between boxy pinstripe suits and faux-ironic vintage tees".


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Tony Stark has worn multiple different armors in his MCU appearances. For "Iron Man", Stan Winston and his company built metal and rubber versions of the armors featured in the film, while Iron Man comic book artist Adi Granov designed the Mark III with illustrator Phil Saunders. Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) created the digital armors in the film, with The Orphanage and The Embassy doing additional work. To help with animating the more refined suits, information was sometimes captured by having Downey wear only the helmet, sleeves and chest of the costume over a motion capture suit.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: For "Iron Man 2", ILM again did the majority of the effects, as it did on the first film, with Double Negative also working on the film. In the filming of "The Avengers", Weta Digital took over duties for animating Iron Man during the forest duel from ILM. For "Iron Man 3", Digital Domain, Scanline VFX and Trixter each worked on separate shots featuring the Mark 42 armor, working with different digital models. The studios shared some of their files to ensure consistency between the shots. For the Mark 42 and Iron Patriot armors, Legacy Effects constructed partial suits that were worn on set.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: The origin story of Iron Man has been updated for the films. In the comics, Stark becomes Iron Man following an experience in the Vietnam War, which is changed to the War in Afghanistan. Jarvis, in the comics, is the family butler, while in the films J.A.R.V.I.S. is an artificial intelligence created by Stark, though still inspired by the butler from Stark's childhood, Edwin Jarvis, who is revealed to have died by the time the first film takes place. Stark also proceeds through the early iterations of his armor to reach the now-familiar red and gold color scheme much more quickly. Stark's personality more closely resembles the Ultimate Comics version.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: The AI version of J.A.R.V.I.S. is eventually uploaded by Stark to an artificial body and becomes Vision. In the films, Vision is created by Stark and Banner as a counter to Ultron. In the comics, however, Ultron is created by a different member of the Avengers, Hank Pym, and aspects of Pym's personality are integrated into this version of Ultron, such as a desire for peace. Another difference in the films is the romance between Stark and Pepper Potts. In the comics, Potts has unrequited feelings for Stark, and ultimately becomes involved with Stark's chauffeur and bodyguard, Happy Hogan.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: A new approach not seen in comics is Stark's mentorial relationship with Peter Parker. In the Ultimate Comics, Stark and Parker do not go past the normal trainer-trainee relationship. In the MCU, Stark is also the creator of two iterations of Parker's Spider-Man suits, unlike in the comics where he only creates the Iron Spider Armor, while Parker creates other suits by himself. Stark is also shown to have a history with Parker's foes Vulture and Mysterio; both are depicted as having turned into villains due to unforeseen consequences of actions by Stark. While he does not end up facing them, his protégé does.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: The Mandarin, a recurring Iron Man villain in the comics, turns out to be just an actor portraying the character, with the real criminal mastermind behind the acts claimed by "the Mandarin" being Aldrich Killian—a minor character in the comics. The Mandarin is revealed to be a real person in the Marvel One-Shot "All Hail the King"; this version is instead portrayed as the father and enemy of Shang-Chi in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (2021).


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Downey's portrayal of the character has been widely praised by fans and critics. Roger Ebert praised Downey's performance in "Iron Man", stating "At the end of the day it's Robert Downey Jr. who powers the lift-off separating this from most other superhero movies". Frank Lovece of "Film Journal International", a one-time Marvel Comics writer, commended that "Iron Man 2" "doesn't find a changed man. Inside the metal, imperfect humanity grows even more so, as thought-provoking questions of identity meet techno-fantasy made flesh".


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: For "The Avengers", Joe Morgenstern of "The Wall Street Journal"—despite complimenting Downey's performance—favored his work in "Iron Man" over his acting in "The Avengers": "His Iron Man is certainly a team player, but Mr. Downey comes to the party with two insuperable superpowers: a character of established sophistication—the industrialist/inventor Tony Stark, a sharp-tongued man of the world—and his own quicksilver presence that finds its finest expression in self-irony". In his review of "", Morgenstern lauded both actor and character, praising "Robert Downey Jr.'s startlingly smart Tony Stark" who, along with Chris Evans' Captain America and Chris Hemsworth's Thor, contributed to that film's "feeling of family ... because the debuts of its most prominent members remain vivid to this day."


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: In 2015, "Empire" named Tony Stark the 13th greatest film character of all time. In 2019, following Stark's death in "Avengers: Endgame", a statue representing the character in his Iron Man armor was erected in Forte dei Marmi, Italy.


title: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

text: Downey has received numerous nominations and awards for his portrayal of Tony Stark. He notably won the Saturn Award for Best Actor three times, making him a record four-time winner (he had previously won the award for 1993's "Heart and Souls"); it is also the record for most wins for portraying the same character, tied with Mark Hamill for playing Luke Skywalker.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Alexandre Lacazette (born 28 May 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for and is the captain of club Lyon. He plays mainly as a striker but has also been deployed as a second striker and wide forward.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Lacazette began his senior career with hometown club Lyon in 2010, at age 19. Initially a wide forward, he was converted into a striker, and finished as Ligue 1 top goalscorer and won Ligue 1 Player of the Year in the 2014–15 season. In 2017, Lacazette was the subject of a then-club record association football transfer when he signed for Arsenal in a transfer worth up to £47.5 million (€53 million), with whom he won the FA Cup in 2020 and reached the 2019 UEFA Europa League Final. In 2022, Lacazette returned to Lyon on a free transfer.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Lacazette made his debut for the senior side of the France national team in 2013, after he represented his nation across all youth levels. Lacazette was a key contributor in France's victory in the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, where he scored the match-winning goal in the final against Spain. He has recorded three goals in sixteen appearances for his nation.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Lacazette was born in Lyon, to a family of Guadeloupean origin. He is the youngest of four boys. One of his brothers, Benoît, played in the Swiss second division and French fourth division and was the coach in the Lyon futsal club: Lyon Footzik Futsal. His cousin, Romuald, is also a professional footballer and plays as a central midfielder.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Upon his arrival at the club, Lacazette began training at the Centre Tola Vologe, the club's training center. While undergoing training, he was likened to former Lyon striker Sonny Anderson by many coaches, including the player himself. As a youth player, Lacazette played in the club's under-18 team that finished in third place in the "Championnat National des moins de 18 ans" during the 2007–08 season. The following season, he began making appearances for the club's Championnat de France Amateur (CFA) reserve team, scoring five goals in 19 CFA matches. In the 2009–10 season, Lacazette had a stellar campaign in the CFA, scoring 12 goals in 22 appearances.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: During the second half of the 2009–10 Ligue 1 season, he was called up to the first team by manager Claude Puel and appeared on the bench in the team's 1–0 victory over Montpellier on 2 May 2010. Three days later, Lacazette made his first team debut in a Ligue 1 home match against Auxerre. On 3 July 2010, Lacazette signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal. Due to still having another year left on his "aspirant" (youth) contract, the contract would start on 1 July 2011.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Lacazette's successful campaign in the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship saw the player draw interest from Italian club Roma. He also drew praise from the media, alongside international teammates Yannis Tafer and Clément Grenier, for his dedication to the club after playing in the pre-season 2010 Emirates Cup match hours after playing in the final of the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. Lacazette began the 2010–11 season training full-time with the first team. He scored 6 goals in 12 2010–11 CFA matches for the club's reserve team. He scored his first competitive goal for the first team on 30 October in a Ligue 1 home match against Sochaux. His goal in the 69th minute gave Lyon a 2–1 lead, which would be the final score. Three days later, Lacazette made his European club competition debut against the Portuguese club Benfica in a 2010–11 UEFA Champions League Group B away match, appearing as a substitute in the second half with Lyon trailing 4–0. Minutes after coming onto the pitch, he assisted Lyon's opening goal, scored by Yoann Gourcuff in the 75th minute. He also assisted Lyon's second goal, scored by Bafétimbi Gomis in the 85th minute. Lyon, however, were unable to complete the comeback, losing 4–3. On 7 December, Lacazette scored the first European club competition goal of his career in Lyon's final Group B match, the 88th-minute equaliser in the 2–2 home draw against Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Lacazette scored Lyon's only goal in the 2014 Coupe de la Ligue Final against Paris Saint-Germain; however his side lost 2–1.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: In September 2014, Lacazette signed a two-year extension to his contract, tying him to the club until 2018. He scored his first hat-trick on 5 October 2014, scoring all the goals in a 3–0 Ligue 1 home win over Lille. On 26 April 2015, Lacazette broke the Lyon record for Ligue 1 or Division 1 goals scored in a single season with his 26th in a Ligue 1 4–2 away victory over Reims; André Guy had scored a total of 25 Division 1 goals in the 1968–69 season. He finished the 2014–15 Ligue 1 season as the top scorer in Ligue 1, scoring a total of 27 goals. Lacazette completed an outstanding season by being voted Ligue 1 Player of the Year for the 2014–15 season.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Amid transfer speculation from a number of Premier League clubs such as Arsenal following his break-out season, on 8 August 2015, Lacazette signed a new deal, extending his contract with Lyon until 2019. On 8 November 2015, he scored all of the goals in a 3–0 Ligue 1 home win over local arch-rivals Saint-Étienne. On 9 January 2016, he scored the first goal at the newly opened Parc Olympique Lyonnais, in a 4–1 win over Troyes in a Ligue 1 match.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: On 29 October 2016, Lacazette scored two goals in Lyon's 2–1 away win against Toulouse in Ligue 1 to register his 100th and 101st goals in all competitions for Lyon, overtaking Juninho Pernambucano (who scored 100 goals in 350 competitive matches for Lyon) to become the fourth-most prolific scorer in Lyon's history. On 22 November, he scored the only goal by slotting home Rafael's rolled cross from close range in the 72nd minute of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League group stage Group H matchday 5 1–0 away win against Dinamo Zagreb to keep alive Lyon's hopes of progressing to the knockout phase of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: In early February 2017, Lacazette reportedly revealed to television show Canal Football Club his intention to leave Olympique Lyonnais in the summer of 2017. On 10 February, Jean-Michel Aulas, the club's president, denied that Lacazette had asked to leave that summer and said that Lacazette's comments were taken out of context by the media.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: In May 2017, it was reported that a verbal arrangement had been reached for Lacazette to join Atlético Madrid in the summer of 2017, but that fell through on 1 June 2017, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Atlético's ban on registering players for two transfer windows (1 January – 2 February 2017 and 1 June – 31 August 2017) that was imposed in July 2016 by FIFA on the club for breaching FIFA rules over the signing of minors.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: On 5 July 2017, Lacazette signed a reported five-year deal for Premier League club Arsenal for a club record fee; Lyon disclosed that the fee was an initial €53 million (£46.5 million) plus up to €7 million (£6.1 million) in potential bonuses. The fee was the largest ever received by Lyon from the sale of a player, beating the €41.5 million (£37.7 million) record set by Corentin Tolisso's transfer to Bayern Munich three weeks earlier. The transfer fee also surpassed the previous Arsenal record €50 million (£42.5 million) that Arsenal paid Real Madrid for Mesut Özil in 2013. Lacazette was given the number 9 jersey.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: On 6 August 2017, Lacazette made his first appearance for Arsenal in the 2017 FA Community Shield against Chelsea. Despite hitting the post midway through the first half, Arsenal eventually won 4–1 on penalties after the game ended 1–1 at full time. This win constituted his first trophy win at Arsenal. On 11 August, Lacazette made his Premier League debut against Leicester City and scored after 94 seconds to give Arsenal a 1–0 lead in an eventual 4–3 win. Lacazette also managed to score in both of Arsenal's next home games, scoring Arsenal's second in a 3–0 win over Bournemouth, before grabbing a brace for the club in a 2–0 win over West Bromwich Albion. With his goals against West Brom, Lacazette became the first Arsenal player to score in his first three home league appearances for the club since Brian Marwood in September 1988.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Lacazette scored his first away goal for Arsenal, in the team's 5–2 win against Everton at Goodison Park, latching onto a pass from Mesut Özil, to score Arsenal's third. Lacazette claimed his sixth goal of the season in Arsenal's 3–1 away defeat to Manchester City after latching onto an Aaron Ramsey pass, despite not starting the game. In November, Lacazette scored Arsenal's opening goal in a 5–0 rout of Huddersfield Town and in December, he scored Arsenal's only goal in a 3–1 home defeat to Manchester United.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Following a protracted period on the sidelines through injury, Lacazette returned to the Arsenal squad in the 3–0 home win over Stoke City in March, where he replaced Danny Welbeck in the 61st minute and scored the Gunners' third goal of the game, after new signing and designated penalty-taker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, allowed Lacazette to take the penalty. Lacazette would then score twice on his Europa League debut for Arsenal, in a 4–1 win against CSKA Moscow, marking his first goal in European competition for the club. Lacazette then registered his third goal in European football for Arsenal, by scoring in the Europa League semi-final 1–1 draw with Atlético Madrid. The goal was Lacazette's seventh goal in seven games for the club since returning from injury. Lacazette scored in Arsène Wenger's final home match, a 5–0 rout of Burnley, the team's second goal and his fourteenth league goal of the season, Lacazette also picked up an assist for the team's opening goal as well.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: After the departure of manager Arsène Wenger, Lacazette found himself dropped to the bench under new manager Unai Emery, making substitute appearances against Manchester City, Chelsea and West Ham United. Lacazette made his first start under Emery in Arsenal's 3–2 away win over Cardiff City on 2 September, where he registered an assist and scored his first goal of the season. On 1 April 2019, Lacazette scored Arsenal's second goal in a 2–0 win over Newcastle United, which sent Arsenal into third place and two points clear of rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester United. The goal marked Lacazette's thirteenth goal of the season in the Premier League. On 3 May 2019, Lacazette was voted by Arsenal supporters as the club's player of the season.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Lacazette scored his first goal of the 2019–20 season in Arsenal's home opener, a 2–1 victory against Burnley on 17 August 2019. On 1 August 2020, Lacazette was selected to start in the FA Cup Final against Chelsea, as Arsenal won their 14th FA Cup.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Lacazette scored Arsenal's first league goal of the 2020–21 season in a 3–0 victory against Fulham on 12 September 2020. He scored three goals in three league starts in September and was voted as the runner up of the Player of the Month on Arsenal official website. On 14 March 2021, Lacazette scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win against Tottenham Hotspur in North London derby, becoming the first Arsenal player to score in three consecutive home league games against their North London rival since 2008. On 11 April, he scored his 50th Premier League goal in a 3–0 win over Sheffield United. With 13 goals, he finished the season as Arsenal's highest goalscorer in the Premier League.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: On 3 June 2022, Arsenal announced that Lacazette would leave the club following the expiration of his contract on 30 June.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: On 9 June 2022, Lacazette returned to Lyon, signing a three-year contract with the club. He scored his first goal of his second stint with the club from the penalty spot against AC Ajaccio in a 2–1 home win.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Lacazette has featured for all of France's national youth teams beginning with the under-16 team making his debut in the team's 2–0 victory over Cameroon on 3 April 2007 at the Montaigu Tournament. He finished the campaign with four appearances in the tournament. With the under-17 team, Lacazette was a regular and contributed to the team's qualification for the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. In the competition, he scored the game-winning goal in the team's 2–1 win over the Republic of Ireland in the group stage. France later reached the final where the team was defeated 4–0 by Spain.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: With the under-18 team, Lacazette made his debut in the team's match against Ukraine. He featured in ten of the eleven matches the team contested scoring one goal, which came against Denmark in the Tournoi de Limoges. For under-19 duty, Lacazette was again called upon by coach Francis Smerecki, making his first appearance for the team in a 4–2 defeat against Netherlands on 9 November 2009. He scored his first goal for the team on 4 March 2010 in a 2–1 win against Ukraine. On 7 June 2010, Lacazette was named to coach Smerecki's 18-man squad to participate in the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. In the tournament, he scored two goals in the team's 5–0 Group A victory over Austria. France later reached the final where they faced Spain, which was essentially composed of the same players that defeated France in the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship final. In the match, France came back from a goal down to win 2–1 with Lacazette netting the game-winning goal in the 85th minute after heading in a cross from Gaël Kakuta. France thus secured their second UEFA European Under-19 championship title.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Due to France's victory at the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 championship, the nation qualified for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup. This resulted in Lacazette making appearances for the under-20 team. He made his under-20 team debut on 7 October 2010 in a friendly match against Portugal. The match ended 3–3 with Lacazette scoring the opening goal of the match. Three days later, Lacazette scored a double in the team's 5–0 thrashing of the Juventus Primavera team. The match was unofficial and was contested as part of the celebration of the Treaty of Turin. On 9 February 2011, Lacazette scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 victory over England. In March 2011, Lacazette scored goals in back-to-back matches against Peru.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: On 10 June 2011, he was named to the 21-man squad to participate in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup finals. He made his debut in the competition in France's first Group A match on 30 July 2011 against the host nation Colombia (France lost the match 4–1), appearing as a substitute. In the team's next Group A match against South Korea, Lacazette appeared as a substitute again and scored the final goal (in second-half injury time) of the match, which France won 3–1. He scored one goal in France's final Group A match, 2–0 win over Mali. Lacazette scored twice in the quarterfinal win over Nigeria and one goal in the third place match against Mexico. He finished as the tournament's joint top scorer with 5 goals, along with Henrique Almeida and Álvaro Vázquez.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: On 23 May 2013, Lacazette received his first call-up to the senior squad following the withdrawal of Jérémy Ménez through injury. He made his international debut on 5 June, as a 58th-minute substitute for Olivier Giroud in a 0–1 friendly defeat against Uruguay at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. Lacazette scored his first international goal on 29 March 2015, opening a 2–0 friendly win over Denmark at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne. During the match, he was booed by some of the local supporters due to their rivalry with Lyon. On 14 November 2017, Lacazette netted a brace for France during a friendly away to Germany in an eventual 2–2 draw.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: On 17 May 2018, he was named on the standby list for the 23-man French squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Lacazette previously played as a winger for Lyon, before becoming a striker. As well as goalscoring and finishing ability, characteristics of his game are pace, strength, balance, technique, dribbling, link-up play, and ability with either foot. He is also a hard-working player, who presses the opposition and wins the ball back using his defensive skills and tackling ability. Fellow Frenchman Gérard Houllier said in July 2017 that Lacazette "is a bit like" former Arsenal striker Ian Wright.


title: Alexandre Lacazette

text: Lacazette was involved in the Amazon Original sports docuseries "", which documented the club by spending time with the coaching staff and players behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their 2021–22 season.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the port of Weihaiwei, the Qing government sued for peace in February 1895.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: The war demonstrated the failure of the Qing dynasty's attempts to modernize its military and fend off threats to its sovereignty, especially when compared with Japan's successful Meiji Restoration. For the first time, regional dominance in East Asia shifted from China to Japan; the prestige of the Qing dynasty, along with the classical tradition in China, suffered a major blow. The humiliating loss of Korea as a tributary state sparked an unprecedented public outcry. Within China, the defeat was a catalyst for a series of political upheavals led by Sun Yat-sen and Kang Youwei, culminating in the 1911 Xinhai Revolution.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: The war is commonly known in China as the War of Jiawu (), referring to the year (1894) as named under the traditional sexagenary system of years. In Japan, it is called the . In Korea, where much of the war took place, it is called the Qing–Japan War (; Hanja: 淸日戰爭).


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: After two centuries, the Japanese policy of seclusion under the "shōguns" of the Edo period came to an end when the country was opened to trade by the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854. In the years following the Meiji Restoration of 1868 and the fall of the shogunate, the newly formed Meiji government embarked on reforms to centralize and modernize Japan. The Japanese had sent delegations and students around the world to learn and assimilate Western arts and sciences, with the intention of making Japan an equal to the Western powers. These reforms transformed Japan from a feudal society into a modern industrial state.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: During the same time period, the Qing dynasty also started to undergo reform in both military and political doctrine, but was far less successful.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: In January 1864, Cheoljong of Joseon died without a male heir, and through Korean succession protocols Gojong of Korea ascended the throne at the age of 12. However, as King Gojong was too young to rule, the new king's father, Yi Ha-ŭng, became the , or lord of the great court, and ruled Korea in his son's name as regent. Originally the term referred to any person who was not actually the king but whose son took the throne. With his ascendancy to power the initiated a set of reforms designed to strengthen the monarchy at the expense of the class. He also pursued an isolationist policy and was determined to purge the kingdom of any foreign ideas that had infiltrated into the nation. In Korean history, the king's in-laws enjoyed great power, consequently the acknowledged that any future daughters-in-law might threaten his authority. Therefore, he attempted to prevent any possible threat to his rule by selecting as a new queen for his son an orphaned girl from among the Yŏhŭng Min clan, which lacked powerful political connections. With Empress Myeongseong as his daughter-in-law and the royal consort, the felt secure in his power. However, after she had become queen, Min recruited all her relatives and had them appointed to influential positions in the name of the king. The Queen also allied herself with political enemies of the , so that by late 1873 she had mobilized enough influence to oust him from power. In October 1873, when the Confucian scholar Choe Ik-hyeon submitted a memorial to King Gojong urging him to rule in his own right, Queen Min seized the opportunity to force her father-in-law's retirement as regent. The departure of the led to Korea's abandonment of its isolationist policy.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: On February 26, 1876, after confrontations between the Japanese and Koreans, the Ganghwa Treaty was signed, opening Korea to Japanese trade. In 1880, the King sent a mission to Japan that was headed by Kim Hong-jip, an enthusiastic observer of the reforms taking place there. While in Japan, the Chinese diplomat Huang Zunxian presented him with a study called "A Strategy for Korea" (). It warned of the threat to Korea posed by the Russians and recommended that Korea maintain friendly relations with Japan, which was at the time too economically weak to be an immediate threat, to work closely with China, and seek an alliance with the United States as a counterweight to Russia. After returning to Korea, Kim presented the document to King Gojong, who was so impressed with the document that he had copies made and distributed to his officials.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: In 1880, following Chinese advice and breaking with tradition, King Gojong decided to establish diplomatic ties with the United States. After negotiations through Chinese mediation in Tianjin, the Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce, and Navigation was formally signed between the United States and Korea in Incheon on May 22, 1882. However, there were two significant issues raised by the treaty. The first concerned Korea's status as an independent nation. During the talks with the Americans, the Chinese insisted that the treaty contain an article declaring that Korea was a dependency of China and argued that the country had long been a tributary state of China. But the Americans firmly opposed such an article, arguing that a treaty with Korea should be based on the Treaty of Ganghwa, which stipulated that Korea was an independent state. A compromise was finally reached, with Shufeldt and Li agreeing that the King of Korea would notify the U.S. president in a letter that Korea had special status as a tributary state of China. The treaty between the Korean government and the United States became the model for all treaties between it and other Western countries. Korea later signed similar trade and commerce treaties with Great Britain and Germany in 1883, with Italy and Russia in 1884, and with France in 1886. Subsequently, commercial treaties were concluded with other European countries.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: After 1879, China's relations with Korea came under the authority of Li Hongzhang, who had emerged as one of the most influential figures in China after playing an important role during the Taiping Rebellion, and was also an advocate of the self-strengthening movement. In 1879, Li was appointed as governor-general of Zhili Province and the imperial commissioner for the northern ports. He was in charge of China's Korea policy and urged Korean officials to adopt China's own self-strengthening program to strengthen their country in response to foreign threats, to which King Gojong was receptive. The Korean government, immediately after opening of the country to the outside world, pursued a policy of enlightenment aimed at achieving national prosperity and military strength through the doctrine of ("Eastern ways and Western machines"). To modernize their country, the Koreans tried selectively to accept and master Western technology while preserving their country's cultural values and heritage.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: In January 1881, the government launched administrative reforms and established the (Office for Extraordinary State Affairs) which was modeled on Chinese administrative structures. Under this overarching organization, twelve or agencies were created. In 1881, a technical mission was sent to Japan to survey its modernized facilities. Officials traveled all over Japan inspecting administrative, military, educational, and industrial facilities. In October, another small group went to Tianjin to study modern weapons manufacturing, and Chinese technicians were invited to manufacture weapons in Seoul. Additionally, as part of their plan to modernize the country, the Koreans had invited the Japanese military attaché Lieutenant Horimoto Reizō to serve as an adviser in creating a modern army. A new military formation called the (Special Skills Force) was established, in which eighty to one hundred young men of the aristocracy were to be given Japanese military training. The following year, in January 1882, the government also reorganized the existing five-army garrison structure into the (Palace Guards Garrison) and the (Capital Guards Garrison).


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: During the 1880s, discussions in Japan about national security focused on the issue of Korean reform. The political discourse over the two were interlinked; as the German military adviser Major Jacob Meckel stated, Korea was "a dagger pointed at the heart of Japan". What made Korea of strategic concern was not merely its proximity to Japan but its inability to defend itself against outsiders. If Korea were truly independent, it posed no strategic problem to Japan's national security, but if the country remained undeveloped it would remain weak and consequently would be inviting prey for foreign domination. The political consensus in Japan was that Korean independence lay, as it had been for Meiji Japan, through the importation of "civilization" from the West. Korea required a program of self-strengthening like the post-Restoration reforms that were enacted in Japan. The Japanese interest in the reform of Korea was not purely altruistic. Not only would these reforms enable Korea to resist foreign intrusion, which was in Japan's direct interest, but through being a conduit of change they would also have opportunity to play a larger role on the peninsula. To Meiji leaders, the issue was not whether Korea should be reformed but how these reforms might be implemented. There was a choice of adopting a passive role which required the cultivation of reformist elements within Korean society and rendering them assistance whenever possible, or adopting a more aggressive policy, actively interfering in Korean politics to assure that reform took place. Many Japanese advocates of Korean reform swung between these two positions.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: Japan in the early 1880s was weak, as a result of internal peasant uprisings and samurai rebellions during the previous decade. The country was also struggling financially, with inflation as a result of these internal factors. Subsequently, the Meiji government adopted a passive policy, encouraging the Korean court to follow the Japanese model but offering little concrete assistance except for the dispatch of the small military mission headed by Lieutenant Horimoto Reizo to train the . What worried the Japanese was the Chinese, who had loosened their hold over Korea in 1876 when the Japanese succeeded in establishing a legal basis for Korean independence by ending its tributary status. Chinese actions appeared to be thwarting the forces of reform in Korea and re-asserting their influence over the country.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: In 1882, the Korean Peninsula experienced a severe drought which led to food shortages, causing much hardship and discord among the population. Korea was on the verge of bankruptcy, even falling months behind on military pay, causing deep resentment among the soldiers. There was also resentment towards the on the part of the soldiers of the regular Korean army, as the formation was better equipped and treated. Additionally, more than 1000 soldiers had been discharged in the process of overhauling the army; most of them were either old or disabled, and the rest had not been given their pay in rice for thirteen months.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: In June of that year, King Gojong, being informed of the situation, ordered that a month's allowance of rice be given to the soldiers. He directed Min Gyeom-ho, the overseer of government finances and Queen Min's nephew, to handle the matter. Min in turn handed the matter over to his steward who sold the good rice he had been given and used the money to buy millet which he mixed with sand and bran. As a result, the rice became rotten and inedible. The distribution of the alleged rice infuriated the soldiers. On July 23, a military mutiny and riot broke out in Seoul. Enraged soldiers headed for the residence of Min Gyeom-ho, who they had suspected of having swindled them out of their rice. Min, on hearing word of the revolt, ordered the police to arrest some of the ringleaders and announced that they would be executed the next morning. He had assumed that this would serve as a warning to the other agitators. However, after learning what had transpired, the rioters broke into Min's house to take vengeance; as he was not at his residence the rioters vented their frustrations by destroying his furniture and other possessions.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: The rioters then moved on to an armory from which they stole weapons and ammunition, and then headed for the prison. After overpowering the guards, they released not only the men who had been arrested that day by Min Gyeom-ho but also many political prisoners as well. Min then summoned the army to quell the rebellion but it had become too late to suppress the mutiny. The original body of mutineers had been swelled by the poor and disaffected citizenry of the city; as a result the revolt had assumed major proportions. The rioters now turned their attention to the Japanese. One group headed to Lieutenant Horimoto's quarters and killed him. Another group, some 3,000 strong, headed for the Japanese legation, where Hanabusa Yoshitada the minister to Korea and twenty seven members of the legation resided. The mob surrounded the legation shouting its intention of killing all the Japanese inside. Hanabusa gave orders to burn the legation and important documents were set on fire. As the flames quickly spread, the members of the legation escaped through a rear gate, where they fled to the harbor and boarded a boat which took them down the Han River to Chemulpo. Taking refuge with the Incheon commandant, they were again forced to flee after word arrived of the events in Seoul and the attitude of their hosts changed. They escaped to the harbor during heavy rain and were pursued by Korean soldiers. Six Japanese were killed, while another five were seriously wounded. The survivors carrying the wounded then boarded a small boat and headed for the open sea where three days later they were rescued by a British survey ship, , which took them to Nagasaki. The following day, after the attack on the Japanese legation, the rioters forced their way into the royal palace where they found and killed Min Gyeom-ho, as well as a dozen other high-ranking officers. They also searched for Queen Min. The queen narrowly escaped, however, dressed as an ordinary lady of the court and was carried on the back of a faithful guard who claimed she was his sister. The used the incident to reassert his power.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: The Chinese then deployed about 4,500 troops to Korea, under General Wu Changqing, which effectively regained control and quelled the rebellion. In response, the Japanese also sent four warships and a battalion of troops to Seoul to safeguard Japanese interests and demand reparations. However, tensions subsided with the Treaty of Chemulpo, signed on the evening of August 30, 1882. The agreement specified that the Korean conspirators would be punished and ¥50,000 would be paid to the families of slain Japanese. The Japanese government would also receive ¥500,000, a formal apology, and permission to station troops at their diplomatic legation in Seoul. In the aftermath of rebellion, the was accused of fomenting the rebellion and its violence, and was arrested by the Chinese and taken to Tianjin. He was later carried off to a town about sixty miles southwest of Beijing, where for three years he was confined to one room and kept under strict surveillance.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: After the Imo Incident, early reform efforts in Korea suffered a major setback. In the aftermath of the incident, the Chinese reasserted their influence over the peninsula, where they began to interfere in Korean internal affairs directly. After stationing troops at strategic points in the capital Seoul, the Chinese undertook several initiatives to gain significant influence over the Korean government. The Qing dispatched two special advisers on foreign affairs representing Chinese interests to Korea: the German Paul Georg von Möllendorff, a close confidant of Li Hongzhang, and the Chinese diplomat Ma Jianzhong. A staff of Chinese officers also took over the training of the army, providing the Koreans with 1,000 rifles, two cannons, and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. Furthermore, the (Capital Guards Command), a new Korean military formation, was created and trained along Chinese lines by Yuan Shikai.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: In October, the two countries signed a treaty stipulating that Korea was dependent on China and granted Chinese merchants the right to conduct overland and maritime business freely within its borders. It also gave the Chinese advantages over the Japanese and Westerners and granted them unilateral extraterritoriality privileges in civil and criminal cases. Under the treaty, the number of Chinese merchants and traders significantly increased, a severe blow to Korean merchants. Although it allowed Koreans reciprocally to trade in Beijing, the agreement was not a treaty but was in effect issued as a regulation for a vassal. Additionally, during the following year, the Chinese supervised the creation of a Korean Maritime Customs Service, headed by von Möllendorff. Korea was reduced to a semi-colonial tributary state of China with King Gojong unable to appoint diplomats without Chinese approval, and with troops stationed in the country to protect Chinese interests.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: During the 1880s two rival factions emerged in Korea. One was a small group of reformers that had centered around the (Enlightenment Party), which had become frustrated at the limited scale and arbitrary pace of reforms. The members who constituted the Enlightenment Party were well-educated Koreans and most were from the yangban class. They were impressed by the developments in Meiji Japan and were eager to emulate them. Members included Kim Ok-gyun, Pak Yung-hio, Hong Yeong-sik, Seo Gwang-beom, and Soh Jaipil. The group was also relatively young; Pak Yung-hio came from a prestigious lineage related to the royal family and was 23, Hong was 29, Seo Gwang-beom was 25, and Soh Jaipil was 20, with Kim Ok-gyun being the oldest at 33. All had spent some time in Japan; Pak Yung-hio had been part of a mission sent to Japan to apologize for the Imo incident in 1882. He had been accompanied by Seo Gwang-beom and by Kim Ok-gyun, who later came under the influence of Japanese modernizers such as Fukuzawa Yukichi. Kim Ok-gyun, while studying in Japan, had also cultivated friendships with influential Japanese figures and became the de facto leader of the group. They were also strongly nationalistic and desired to make their country truly independent by ending Chinese interference in Korea's internal affairs.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: The was a group of conservatives, which included not only Min Yeong-ik from the Min family but also other prominent Korean political figures that wanted to maintain power with China's help. Although the members of the supported the enlightenment policy, they favored gradual changes based on the Chinese model. After the Imo incident, the Min clan pursued a pro-Chinese policy. This was also partly a matter of opportunism as the intervention by Chinese troops led to subsequent exile of the rival in Tianjin and the expansion of Chinese influence in Korea, but it also reflected an ideological disposition shared by many Koreans toward the more comfortable and traditional relationship as a tributary of China. Consequently, the Min clan became advocates of the ("adopting Western knowledge while keeping Eastern values") philosophy, which had originated from the ideas of moderate Chinese reformers who had emphasized the need to maintain the perceived superior cultural values and heritage of the Sino-centric world while recognizing the importance of acquiring and adopting Western technology, particularly military technology, in order to preserve autonomy. Hence, rather than major institutional reforms such as the adoption of new values such as legal equality or introducing modern education like in Meiji Japan, the advocates of this school of thought sought piecemeal adoptions of institutions that would strengthen the state while preserving the basic social, political, and cultural order. Through the ascendancy of Queen Min to the throne, the Min clan had also been able to use newly created government institutions as bases for political power; subsequently with their growing monopoly of key positions they frustrated the ambitions of the Enlightenment Party.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: In the two years preceding the Imo incident, the members of the had failed to secure appointments to vital offices in the government and were unable to implement their reform plans. As a consequence they were prepared to seize power by any means necessary. In 1884, an opportunity to seize power by staging a coup d'état against the presented itself. In August, as hostilities between France and China erupted over Annam, half of the Chinese troops stationed in Korea were withdrawn. On December 4, 1884, with the help of Japanese minister Takezoe Shinichiro who promised to mobilize Japanese legation guards to provide assistance, the reformers staged their coup under the guise of a banquet hosted by Hong Yeong-sik, the director of the General Postal Administration. The banquet was to celebrate the opening of the new national post office. King Gojong was expected to attend together with several foreign diplomats and high-ranking officials, most of whom were members of the pro-Chinese faction. Kim Ok-gyun and his comrades approached King Gojong falsely stating that Chinese troops had created a disturbance and escorted him to the small Gyoengu Palace, where they placed him in the custody of Japanese legation guards. They then proceeded to kill and wound several senior officials of the faction.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: After the coup, the members formed a new government and devised a program of reform. The radical 14-point reform proposal stated that the following conditions be met: an end to Korea's tributary relationship with China; the abolition of ruling-class privilege and the establishment of equal rights for all; the reorganization of the government as virtually a constitutional monarchy; the revision of land tax laws; cancellation of the grain loan system; the unification of all internal fiscal administrations under the jurisdiction of the Ho-jo; the suppression of privileged merchants and the development of free commerce and trade, the creation of a modern police system including police patrols and royal guards; and severe punishment of corrupt officials.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: However, the new government lasted no longer than a few days. This was possibly inevitable, as the reformers were supported by no more than 140 Japanese troops who faced at least 1,500 Chinese garrisoned in Seoul, under the command of General Yuan Shikai. With the reform measures being a threat to her clan's power, Queen Min secretly requested military intervention from the Chinese. Consequently, within three days, even before the reform measures were made public, the coup was suppressed by Chinese troops who attacked and defeated the Japanese forces and restored power to the pro-Chinese faction. During the ensuing melee Hong Yeong-sik was killed, the Japanese legation building was burned down and forty Japanese were killed. The surviving Korean coup leaders including Kim Ok-gyun escaped to the port of Chemulpo under escort of the Japanese minister Takezoe. From there they boarded a Japanese ship for exile in Japan.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: In January 1885, with a show of force the Japanese dispatched two battalions and seven warships to Korea, which resulted in the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1885, signed on 9 January 1885. The treaty restored diplomatic relations between Japan and Korea. The Koreans also agreed to pay the Japanese ¥100,000 for damages to their legation and to provide a site for the building of a new legation. Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi, in order to overcome Japan's disadvantageous position in Korea followed by the abortive coup, visited China to discuss the matter with his Chinese counterpart, Li Hongzhang. The two parties succeeded in concluding the Convention of Tianjin on May 31, 1885. They also pledged to withdraw their troops from Korea within four months, with prior notification to the other if troops were to be sent to Korea in the future. After both countries withdrew their forces they left behind a precarious balance of power on the Korean Peninsula between the two nations. Meanwhile, Yuan Shikai remained in Seoul, appointed as the Chinese Resident, and continued to interfere with Korean domestic politics. The failure of the coup also marked a dramatic decline in Japanese influence over Korea.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: The Nagasaki incident was a riot that took place in the Japanese port city of Nagasaki in 1886. Four warships from the Qing Empire's navy, the Beiyang Fleet, stopped at Nagasaki, apparently to carry out repairs. Some Chinese sailors caused trouble in the city and started the riot. Several Japanese policemen confronting the rioters were killed. The Qing government did not apologize after the incident, which resulted in a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment in Japan.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: A poor harvest in 1889 led the governor of Korea's Hamgyong Province to prohibit soybean exports to Japan. Japan requested and received compensation in 1893 for their importers. The incident highlighted the growing dependence Japan felt on Korean food imports.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: On March 28, 1894, a pro-Japanese Korean revolutionary, Kim Ok-gyun, was assassinated in Shanghai. Kim had fled to Japan after his involvement in the 1884 coup, and the Japanese had turned down Korean demands for him to be extradited. Many Japanese activists saw in him potential for a future role in Korean modernization; however, Meiji government leaders were more cautious. After some reservations, they exiled him to the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands. Ultimately, he was lured to Shanghai, where he was killed by a Korean, Hong Jong-u, in his room at a Japanese inn in the International Settlement. After some hesitation, the British authorities in Shanghai concluded that rules against extradition did not apply to a corpse and turned his body over to Chinese authorities. His body was then taken aboard a Chinese warship and sent back to Korea, where it was cut up by the Korean authorities, quartered and displayed in all Korean provinces as a warning to other purported rebels and traitors.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: In Tokyo, the Japanese government took that as an outrageous affront. Kim Ok-gyun's brutal murder was portrayed as a betrayal by Li Hongzhang and a setback for Japan's stature and dignity. The Chinese authorities refused to press charges against the assassin, but he was even allowed to accompany Kim's mutilated body back to Korea, where he was showered with rewards and honors. Kim's assassination had also called Japan's commitment to its Korean supporters into question. The police in Tokyo had foiled an earlier attempt during the same year to assassinate Pak Yung-hio, one of the other Korean leaders of the 1884 uprising. When two suspected Korean assassins received asylum at the Korean legation, that had instigated a diplomatic outrage as well. Although the Japanese government could have immediately used Kim's assassination to its advantage, it concluded that since Kim had died on Chinese territory, the treatment of the corpse was outside its authority. However, the shocking murder of the Korean inflamed Japanese opinion since many Japanese considered the Chinese-supported actions to be directed against Japan as well. To the Japanese, the Chinese had also showed their contempt for international law when they set free the suspected assassin, who had been arrested by British authorities in Shanghai and then, in accordance with treaty obligations, turned over to the Chinese for trial. Nationalistic groups immediately began to call for war with China.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: Tensions ran high between China and Japan, but war was not yet inevitable, and the fury in Japan over the Kim's assassination began to dissipate. However, in late April, the Donghak Rebellion erupted in Korea. Korean peasants rose up in open rebellion against oppressive taxation and incompetent financial administration of the Joseon government. It was the largest peasant rebellion in Korean history. However, on June 1, rumors reached the Donghaks that the Chinese and Japanese were on the verge of sending troops and so the rebels agreed to a ceasefire to remove any grounds for foreign intervention.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: On June 2, the Japanese cabinet decided to send troops to Korea if China did the same. In May, the Chinese had taken steps to prepare for the mobilization of their forces in the provinces of Zhili, Shandong and in Manchuria as a result of the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula. However, those actions were planned more as an armed demonstration to strengthen the Chinese position in Korea than as preparation for war against Japan.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: On June 3, King Gojong, on the recommendation of the Min clan and at the insistence of Yuan Shikai, requested aid from the Chinese government in suppressing the Donghak Rebellion. Although the rebellion was not as serious as it had initially seemed and so the Chinese forces were not necessary, the decision was made to send 2,500 men under the command of General Ye Zhichao to the harbor of Asan, about from Seoul. The troops destined for Korea sailed on board three British-owned steamers chartered by the Chinese government, arriving at Asan on June 9. On June 25, a further 400 troops had arrived. Consequently, by the end of June, Ye Zhichao had about 2,800-2,900 soldiers under his command at Asan.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: Closely watching the events on the peninsula, the Japanese government had quickly become convinced that the rebellion would lead to Chinese intervention in Korea. As a result, soon after learning of the Korean government's request for Chinese military help, all Japanese warships in the vicinity were immediately ordered to Pusan and Chemulpo. By June 9, Japanese warships had consecutively called at Chemulpo and Pusan. A formation of 420 sailors, selected from the crews of warships anchored in Chempulo, was immediately dispatched to Seoul, where they served as a temporary counterbalance to the Chinese troops camped at Asan. Simultaneously, a reinforced brigade of approximately 8,000 troops (the Oshima Composite Brigade), under the command of General Ōshima Yoshimasa, was also dispatched to Chemulpo by June 27.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: According to the Japanese, the Chinese government had violated the Convention of Tientsin by not informing the Japanese government of its decision to send troops, but the Chinese claimed that Japan had approved the decision. The Japanese countered by sending an expeditionary force to Korea. The first 400 troops arrived on June 9 en route to Seoul, and 3,000 landed at Incheon on June 12.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: However, Japanese officials denied any intention to intervene. As a result, the Qing viceroy Li Hongzhang "was lured into believing that Japan would not wage war, but the Japanese were fully prepared to act". The Qing government turned down Japan's suggestion for Japan and China to co-operate to reform the Korean government. When Korea demanded that Japan withdraw its troops from Korea, the Japanese refused.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: In early June 1894, the 8,000 Japanese troops captured the Korean king Gojong and occupied the Gyeongbokgung in Seoul. By June 25, they had replaced the existing Korean government with members of the pro-Japanese faction. Even though Qing forces were already leaving Korea after they found themselves unneeded there, the new pro-Japanese Korean government granted Japan the right to expel Qing forces, and Japan dispatched more troops to Korea. The Qing Empire rejected the new Korean government as illegitimate.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: Japanese reforms under the Meiji government gave significant priority to the creation of an effective modern national army and navy, especially naval construction. Japan sent numerous military officials abroad for training and evaluation of the relative strengths and tactics of Western armies and navies.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: The Imperial Japanese Navy was modeled after the British Royal Navy, at the time the foremost naval power. British advisors were sent to Japan to train the naval establishment, while Japanese students were in turn sent to Britain to study and observe the Royal Navy. Through drilling and tuition by Royal Navy instructors, Japan developed naval officers expert in the arts of gunnery and seamanship. At the start of hostilities, the Imperial Japanese Navy was composed of a fleet of 12 modern warships, (the protected cruiser "Izumi" being added during the war), eight corvettes, one ironclad warship, 26 torpedo boats, and numerous auxiliary/armed merchant cruisers and converted liners. During peacetime, the warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy were divided among three main naval bases at Yokosuka, Kure and Sasebo and following mobilization, the navy was composed of five divisions of seagoing warships and three flotillas of torpedo boats with a fourth being formed at the beginning of hostilities. The Japanese also had a relatively large merchant navy, which at the beginning of 1894 consisted of 288 vessels. Of these, 66 belonged to the Nippon Yusen Kaisha shipping company, which received national subsidies from the Japanese government to maintain the vessels for use by the navy in time of war. As a consequence, the navy could call on a sufficient number of auxiliaries and transports.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: Japan did not yet have the resources to acquire battleships and so planned to employ the "Jeune École" doctrine, which favoured small, fast warships, especially cruisers and torpedo boats, with the offensive capability to destroy larger craft. The Japanese naval leadership, on the eve of hostilities, was generally cautious and even apprehensive, as the navy had not yet received the warships ordered in February 1893, particularly the battleships and and the protected cruiser . Hence, initiating hostilities at the time was not ideal, and the navy was far less confident than the army about the outcome of a war with China.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: Many of Japan's major warships were built in British and French shipyards (eight British, three French and two Japanese-built) and 16 of the torpedo boats were known to have been built in France and assembled in Japan.


title: First Sino-Japanese War

text: The Meiji government at first modeled their army after the French Army. French advisers had been sent to Japan with two military missions (in 1872–1880 and 1884), in addition to one mission under the shogunate. Nationwide conscription was enforced in 1873 and a Western-style conscript army was established; military schools and arsenals were also built. In 1886, Japan turned toward the German-Prussian model as the basis for its army, adopting German doctrines and the German military system and organisation. In 1885 Klemens Meckel, a German adviser, implemented new measures, such as the reorganization of the command structure into divisions and regiments; the strengthening of army logistics, transportation, and structures (thereby increasing mobility); and the establishment of artillery and engineering regiments as independent commands. It was also an army that was equal to European armed forces in every respect.