All times in UTC ·
Dashed edge = started before, or continues beyond, this day
Events on Sunday 15 November 1908 2
1835 – 1908Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908)Died 15 November 1908, aged 73Cixi effectively ruled Qing dynasty China as regent for nearly half a century, dominating the court during a period of foreign intervention and internal upheaval. She died one day after the Guangxu Emperor, whom she had kept confined for years. Her death was followed by the enthronement of the child emperor Puyi.
1908Belgium annexes the Congo Free StateLeopold II's personal colony becomes a Belgian state colonyThe Belgian parliament voted to annex the Congo Free State from King Leopold II, ending his brutal personal rule over the territory. The colony was renamed the Belgian Congo and placed under government administration. The annexation followed international outcry over atrocities committed under Leopold's regime.