The fear of a gas attack on the civilian population in WW II was even greater than that of air raids.Everyone was issued with a gas mask which they were supposed to carry with them at all times, children had Mickey Mouse ones. 

As the war went on and it became less of a threat people stopped carrying them, but if you see film of photos from the early years of the war most people are carrying a gas mask in the street.  

The early gas attacks were not specifically intended to kill the enemy, rather to temporarily disable them thus blunting an attack or making your attack more likely to succeed. Later gases were considerably more lethal. The Germans deployed more gas than the Allies combined.

Art, my friend's grandpa was from Alsace-Lorraine & his family had immigrated to Buffalo when he was a child. When WWI broke out he enlisted in the U.S. Army & got shipped out to the front & got gassed. When he got back he moved to Northern Pennsylvania & lived in the mountains in a remote area. He was a skilled carpenter & did that for a living & although he had respiratory problems lived a long life. My friend did not know exactly where his grandpa was buried so a couple of years ago I helped him do  some research & we found his old homestead & his grave in a local cemetery. It was an interesting experience for me & I enjoyed it. 

1 February 1666 - Shah Jahan, Mughal Emperor 1628-58, died.

Under his reign the Mughal Empire reached its height especially in architecture and culture. He is best remembered for his construction of the Taj Mahal as the burial place for his first wife Mumtaz who died in 1631, he too is buried within.

He was deposed by his son Aurangzeb in 1658 and held in comfortable confinement at Agra until his death.

Under the circumstances it was the best he could expect. His daughter stayed with him throughout.

Centuries ago it was understandable, there was no other system of government. But in more recent times I understand your point. I suspect it's because they represent the State for all its faults and as long as they don't show total ineptitude or contempt we stick with them. Staying relevant and visible is the trick. 

The current situation over here is a good example - fringe members have let the side down and the Monarchy has taken a dip in popularity, but those who really count, the King and direct heirs are behaving admirably, so all will be OK. 

Looking stylish while doing good works helps.

Not some but most call it a insurrection all around the world. If you look at the Republican party now, many of the organizers of that day are now holding seats in Congress. Talk about a country that's into self abuse. I think the only countries that didn't call it an insurrection are China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. The word insurrection has never been taught in those countries.

Is the former president just a fool or is he playing a bigger game?

2 February 1424 - James I, King of Scots married Joan Beaufort.

In March 1406 when he was just 11 years old James, son and heir of King Robert III, was captured at sea by the English while en route to France to escape the civil war in Scotland. Upon hearing the news King Robert collapsed and within a month he was dead, thus the boy prisoner became King of Scots.

The English King Henry IV decided to keep the boy in England as a bargaining chip against the Scots, a decision which suited perfectly the Regent the Duke of Albany who was free to govern as King himself in all but name.  

King James grew up in England with comparative freedom, he was allowed a household of Scots, albeit pro-English ones, as was educated as a future ruler. By the 1420s he was an adult and treated more as an honoured guest rather than a prisoner attending Court, tournaments and Royal progresses across the country, he even accompanied Henry V (Henry IV had died in 1413) on campaign in France.

In 1420 he was introduced to Lady Joan Beaufort the 16 year old daughter of the Earl of Somerset and a distant cousin of King Henry. At the same time negotiations began for James' return to Scotland to take up his rightful Crown. To ensure he remained pro-English a marriage was arranged between James and Lady Joan which took place in London. Two months later King James returned to Scotland after an absence of 18 years with his wife.  

3 February 1134 - Robert III, Duke of Normandy 1087-1106, died.

Eldest son of William I, Duke of Normandy and King of England. He was not on good terms with his father and rebelled against him on several occasions to the point that on his deathbed in 1087 William divided his empire between Robert who succeeded him in Normandy, but England went to his second son William.

An early attempt to overthrow William failed and Robert appeared resigned to his lot when he went on Crusade in 1096. Upon his return in 1100 he learnt that King William had been killed in the New Forest and that in his absence the English Crown that Robert expected to fall to him had been seized by his younger brother Henry, now King Henry I.

The following year Duke Robert landed in England with an army, but he failed to gain the support of the nobles and was forced to relinquish all his claims to England before returning to Normandy.

However his poor leadership and King Henry's ruthless ambition led to an invasion of Normandy by Henry in 1106. At the battle of Tinchebrai in September Duke Robert was defeated and captured. He was taken to England and King Henry assumed the Crown of Normandy.

Robert spent the rest of his life in confinement latterly at Cardiff Castle where he died aged about 80. He is buried in Gloucester Cathedral. 

It would have been, yes. Many high ranking prisoners back then were kept confined but in comfortable surroundings, not chained to a wall in filthy rags. Unless their death was considered imperative they would be looked after reasonably well, Duke Robert was no exception. 

At best such prisoners were allowed a surprisingly generous degree of freedom; Mary, Queen of Scots was permitted to go out riding, under escort of course. Others were confined to a castle and its grounds living in far greater comfort than 99.99% of the population. 

4 February 1555 - John Rogers burned at the stake.

The first Protestant Martyr of Mary I's "Bloody Mary's" reign.

The laws against heresy, which included burning at the stake, had been repealed by the first Parliament of Edward VI in 1547. A year after his death and Mary's accession they were reinstated.

Rogers was a clergyman who converted to Protestantism in the 1530s while serving as chaplain to the English community of merchants in Antwerp (modern Belgium) where he was a major figure in the translation of the Bible into English. 

He returned to England in 1548 and found a position in St Paul's Cathedral. However the accession of Queen Mary in 1553 led to his arrest and after the heresy laws were revived he and several others were put on trial in January 1555. All were convicted and it was Rogers who was the first to be executed by burning at the stake at Smithfield. 

5 February 1811 - George, Prince of Wales appointed Prince Regent.

King George III suffered a series of increasingly severe mental breakdowns culminating in a serious collapse in November 1810. On conflicting advice from doctors, who could not agree on the chances of his recovery, Parliament passed a Regency Act early in January 1811 giving the incapacitated King's powers to his son and heir George, Prince of Wales. The Act was not invoked for several weeks to see if the King recovered, but he did not.

On 5 February in a ceremony at Carlton House, the Prince's London residence, he was sworn in as Prince Regent.

He remained as such for the rest of his father's life, George III never recovered and died nine years later in 1820 whereupon the Regent became King.   

Yes, 59 years three months, the last nine years under the Regency of his son. He lived to be 81 yet never left England even though he was Elector of Hanover too. In fact Hanover did not receive a visit from its Elector (and later King) for 66 years between 1755 and 1821.