July 12, 1904: Deng was born in Baifang Village in southwest Sichuan province. The eldest son of the county sheriff, the child was named Deng Xixian, a two-character name that means "first saint."
October 10, 1911: Imperial rule ended in China with a Republican uprising in Wuchang. The Qing or Manchu dynasty collapsed as the provinces declared their independence. Deng began primary school.
January 1, 1912: Sun Yat-sen, considered the father of modern China, founded the Chinese Republic in Nanjing.
February 1912: Sun resigned and Yuan Shih-kai, a reformist official, became president. In 1913, Yuan dissolved the parliament and took on dictatorial powers. After his death in 1916, China fractured into smaller areas ruled by feudal warlords.
October 1917: The Russian Revolution began.