Short answers, pulled from the story.
Emperor Wu of Han was born on the 16th of May 153 BC when he received the title Prince of Jiaodong. This young prince stood at the center of a political storm that would eventually crown him Emperor Wu of Han.
In late 141 BC, only one year into his reign, Emperor Wu launched an ambitious reform known as the Jianyuan Reforms. These reforms included officially endorsing Confucianism as the national philosophy and forcing noblemen back to their own fiefdoms.
After a series of defeats by Wei Qing and Huo Qubing between 127 and 119 BC, the Xiongnu were expelled from the Ordos Desert and Qilian Mountains. The Battle of Mobei in 119 BC saw Han forces invade the northern regions of the Gobi Desert using highly mobile cavalry-against-cavalry warfare.
Zhang delivered his report to Emperor Wu when he arrived back in the capital Chang'an in 126 BC after a second and shorter captivity by Xiongnu. This mission began in 139 BC when Emperor Wu commissioned Zhang Qian to seek out the Kingdom of Yuezhi.
In 96 BC, a series of witchcraft persecutions began after Emperor Wu experienced a nightmare of being whipped by tiny stick-wielding puppets. Large numbers of people including many high officials were accused of witchcraft and executed usually along with their entire clans.