Today is Saturday; 24th of the Iranian month of Shahrivar 1397 solar hijri; corresponding to 5th of the Islamic month of Muharram 1440 lunar hijri; and September 15, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
Some 3,505 lunar years ago, on this day, by the command of God Almighty waters parted for Prophet Moses (AS) to cross into Sinai safely from Egypt along with the Israelites who had been enslaved by the Pharaoh. When the Pharaoh tried to pursue Moses, the waters merged and drowned him and his forces. Islam considers Moses one of the five great prophets – the others being Noah, Abraham, Jesus, and the last and greatest of them all, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
1379 lunar years ago, on this day in 61 AH, the forces of Yazid continued to converge upon Karbala in thousands, in a bid to pressure Imam Husain (AS) to surrender to the tyrannical Omayyad ruler. Obaidullah ibn Ziyad, the bloodthirsty governor of Iraq stationed a force of five-hundred horsemen under Zahr bin Qays on the Sadah Bridge on the Euphrates to prevent anyone from Kufa to join Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala. Amer ibn Salamah, a staunch follower of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), who had the honour of accompanying Imam Ali (AS) to the battles imposed upon the Commander of the Faithful by the seditionists and hypocrites, dauntlessly attacked the forces of Zahr bin Qays and breaking through their ranks, rode fearlessly to Karbala to join Imam Husain (AS). Amer eventually drank the elixir of martyrdom on the Day of Ashura (Muharram 10) to sacrifice his life for the ideals of faith, justice, and piety, of the Prophet’s grandson.
1024 solar years ago, on this day in 994 AD, the Fatemid Ismaili Shi'ite Muslim Dynasty of Egypt, North Africa, Syria and Hejaz won a major victory over the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of the Orontes near the river of the same name in what is now south-central Turkey. The Byzantine army was led by Michael Bourtzes, while the Fatemid forces were under command of the vizier of Damascus, the Turk general Manjutakin. The fighting also involved the Hamdanid Shi'ite Muslim rulers of Aleppo who had become Byzantine vassals. Manjutakin besieged Apamea, and when the two armies met across two fords on the Orontes River, he sent his forces to attack the Hamdanids across one ford while pinning the main Byzantine force down on the other. His men succeeded in breaking through the Hamdanids, turned round and attacked the Byzantine force in the rear. The Byzantine army panicked and fled, losing some 5,000 men.
764 solar years ago, on this day in 1254 AD, the Venetian traveler, Marco Polo, was born. His travels are recorded in the book "Il Milione”, which introduced Italians and other Europeans to the rich culture and advanced civilizations of Iran, Central Asia and China. His accounts of use of paper money and coal as fuel were scoffed by Europeans. His father and uncle, Niccolo and Maffeo, had earlier travelled through Asia and met the Mongol Emperor, Kublai Khan, in China. He went with them on an epic journey to Asia, returning after 24 years to find Venice at war with Genoa. Marco was imprisoned and dictated his stories to a cellmate. He was released in 1299 and became a wealthy merchant. He died in 1324 at the age of 70. Marco Polo was entrusted by Kublai Khan to escort to Iran the Mongol princess, Kokechin, who on arrival in Soltaniyeh became the wife of the Ilkhanid ruler, Ghazaan Khan, who converted to Islam and took the name Mahmoud.
229 solar years ago, on this day in 1789 AD, US novelist, James Fenimore Cooper, was born in Burlington, New Jersey. He is best known for "The Pioneers" and "Last of the Mohicans". His famous quote: "The press, like fire, is an excellent servant, but a terrible master." He died in 1851.
197 solar years ago, on this day in 1821 AD, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica jointly declared independence from Spain, following the fall of Spain to French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. These five countries formed the Central American Alliance that was dissolved in 1838. In mid-19th century these countries were occupied by the US, but got together again to defeat the American mercenaries. Nonetheless, the US has always aimed to dominate Central American countries and has dispatched troops to these countries on several occasions. These countries have coastlines of the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean.
194 lunar years ago, on this day in 1246 AH, the prominent Indian Islamic scholar, Allamah Mir Hamed Hussain Musavi, was born in a religious family. He was the son of Mir Mohammad Quli Musavi Kintoori, the author of "Burhan as-Sa`adah”, which is a refutation of the 7th Chapter of the seditious book of Shah Abdul-Aziz Dehlavi against the beliefs of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) titled "Tuhfeye- Ithna Ashariyyah”. Well versed in theology, hadith, and other Islamic sciences, Hamed Hussain devoted his entire life to research and writing, for which he travelled around the Islamic world and browsed whole libraries. He authored several books, his magnum opus being the voluminous "Abaqaat al-Anwaar” on merits of Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) Ahl al-Bayt, as mentioned in the holy Qur'an by God Almighty and the Hadith. This valuable work which has been printed in Iran is a well-documented and rational refutation of the Abdul-Aziz Dehlavi’s highly fabricated book.
188 solar years ago, on this day in 1830 AD, William Huskisson, a British statesman became the first railway fatality while observing the ceremonial procession of locomotives at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester railway. He was one of the dignitaries riding in a special carriage pulled by the leading locomotive, the Northumbrian. Partway along the line, while the Northumbrian stopped to take on water, the passengers stood by the rails to observe the procession of other locomotives passing on the parallel line. Huskisson stumbled and fell in the path of the Rocket locomotive, and was run-over. With severe injuries to his leg and thigh, he died later that evening. Among other government positions, he had been colonial secretary and leader of the House of Commons.
136 solar years ago, on this day in 1882 AD, British forces led by General Wolseley entered Cairo two days after crushing the nationalist uprising under Ahmad Uraibi, and on the pretext of protecting Khedive Towfiq Pasha (declared traitor to country and religion by al-Azhar), they virtually occupied Egypt, in particular to have complete monopoly over the Suez Canal. The British occupation officially lasted till the 1922 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty, but in fact continued till the next treaty of 1936 that gave gradual control back to the government of Egypt.
130 lunar years ago, on this day in 1310 AH, the prominent Iranian scholar Mullah Ahmad Fazel-e Naraqi, passed away. He was born in Azarbaijan Province, northwestern Iran, and studied at the famous seminary of holy Najaf in Iraq under such great scholars as Sheikh Morteza Ansari. Following his return to Iran, he groomed a large number of students. He has left behind numerous books on various topics including an exegesis of the holy Qur’an
102 solar years ago, on this day in 1916 AD during World War I tanks were used for the first time in warfare at the Battle of the Somme in France by both sides – the Germans and the Anglo-French alliance. The battle was one of the largest of World War I, in which more than one million men were wounded or killed, making it one of humanity's bloodiest battles.
102 solar years ago, on this day in 1916 AD, Romanian researcher, Constantin Virgil Gheorghiu, was born. He conducted extensive research in different fields, including Islam. The book: "Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam" is one of his prominent works, which was welcomed in the World of Islam, especially in Iran. Among his other books, is "The 25th Hour". He died in 1992.
60 solar years ago, on this day in 1958 AD, for the first time in the history of Medicine, the virus of Trachoma was identified, setting the stage for its treatment since it was the cause of blindness of thousands of people around the world. The virus was identified by the two English physicians, L H Collier, and J Sowa.
31 solar years ago, on this day in 1987 AD, prominent Iranian astrologer, Habibollah Nojoumi, passed away at the age of 72. Born in Shiraz in a family of astrologers that for the past three generations were publishing the astrological calendar, he started studying astrology from his father since the tender age of 9 years. At the age of 25 years, following the death of his father, he personally calculated, computed and published his first astrological calendar.  
27 solar years ago, on this day in 1991 AD, Macedonia, in southeastern Europe, gained its independence. For five centuries it was part of the Ottoman Empire until its occupation by Bulgaria in late 19th century. In 1913, Serbia seized control of Macedonia, which then became part of the new state of Yugoslavia. After the end of socialism in Europe in 1989, Macedonia followed the path of Croatia and Slovenia, to secede from Yugoslavia. Of the two-million plus population of the country, around 40 percent Macedonians are Muslims, mostly ethnic Albanians. Macedonia covers an area of almost 26,000 sq km, sharing borders with Greece, Serbia, Albania, and Bulgaria in the Balkan Peninsula.
24 lunar years ago, on this day in 1416 AH, Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Baqer Kamarei Khomeini passed away at the age of 96 and was laid to rest in the courtyard of the mausoleum of Hazrat Abdul-Aziz Hassani in Rayy. An expert in Arabic and Persian literature, in addition to exegesis of the holy Qur’an, hadith, jurisprudence, history, and theology, he authored some fifty books on various topics, and was socially active till the end of his life.
19 solar years ago, on this day in 1999 AD, Iranian historian and researcher, Dr. Abdul-Hussain Zarrinkoub, passed away due to a heart stroke at the age of 77. Born in the western Iranian city of Boroujerd, he obtained his BA in 1948 and later his PhD in history. He was well versed in Persian literature and Islamic mysticism as well. He has left behind several compilations, translations, and articles. Among his books, mention can be made of "Familiarity with Literary Criticism".
9 solar years ago, on this day in 2009 AD, Iraqi journalist, Muntazar az-Zaidi, who won international fame on 14 December 2008, when he threw a pair of shoes at US president, George W. Bush, was released after nine months in prison. On release, he charged Iraqi security forces of torturing him with beatings, whippings and electric shocks. Born in Baghdad’s Sadr City in a family adhering to the school of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), he shouted "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog", as he threw his first shoe at Bush during a press in Baghdad attended by Iraqi premier, Noori al-Maleki. As a frightened Bush ducked to avoid being hit in the face, az-Zaidi threw his other shoe at the US president, shouting: "This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq."Again, a badly shaken Bush barely evaded a direct hit on the face. The heroic Iraqi journalist was immediately pulled to the ground, as security guards kicked, beat and dragged him outside the conference hall, with blood dripping from his body. He was jailed, tortured, interrogated, put on trial, defended his action as the natural response to the killing of over a million Iraqis by the American occupiers, and sentenced to a year in prison. Nine months later, he was released for good conduct, and now works for a Lebanese TV channel. He has been hailed around the world for his heroic action.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)