China's first emperor tried to erase history by burning every book that disagreed with him

Around 213 BC, Qin Shi Huang ordered most philosophical and historical texts outside the imperial library destroyed, sparing only practical works like agriculture and medicine, and reportedly had hundreds of scholars executed the following year for criticizing his rule. The episode is still cited in China as shorthand for state censorship.

— Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) — c. 94 BC