This Day in History
(December 12)
Today is Thursday; 21st of the Iranian month of Azar 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 15th of the Islamic month of Rabi as-Sani 1441 lunar hijri; and December 12, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1392 solar years ago, on this day in 627 AD, the Battle of Ninevah was fought in Iraq in which a Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius of the Eastern Roman Empire defeated the Persian forces of Emperor Khosrow II Pervez of Iran’s Sassanid Empire, commanded by the Armenian General, Rokh Vehan (Rahzadh). The Byzantine victory in the 26-year long Roman-Iranian war, broke the power of the Sassanid dynasty, which a few years back in the early stages of the war had conquered much of the Levant, Egypt, and most of Anatolia (modern day Turkey), even besieging the Byzantine capital, Constantinople (present day Istanbul).
921 solar years ago, on this day in 1098 AD, during the First Crusade, the Christian invaders from Europe not just massacred over 20,000 Muslim men, women, and children of the Syrian city of Ma’arrat an-Numan after deceiving them to surrender peacefully, but resorted to cannibalism by eating the bodies of their victims. These barbaric events were chronicled by Fulcher of Chartres, who wrote: "I shudder to tell that many of our people (European Christians), harassed by the madness of excessive hunger, cut pieces from the buttocks of the Saracens (Muslims) already dead there, which they cooked, but when it was not yet roasted enough by the fire, they devoured it with savage mouth.”
510 solar years ago, on this day in 1509 AD, Portuguese admiral, Francisco de Almeida, in a bid to avenge the death of his marauding son, Lorenzo de Almeida, who was killed in the naval Battle of Chaul off the coast of Gujarat by the joint fleet of the Zamorin of Kerala and the Mamluks of Egypt led by Mir Hussain Kurdi, pursued the latter, after indiscriminately burning several Indian ships in the ports of Calicut and Cannanore. Unable to corner Mir Hussain, he took the defenseless town of Dabhol on India’s western coast on December 30, plundered it, and massacred its inhabitants including women, children, and elderly men.
445 solar years ago, on this day in 1574 AD, Selim II, the 11th Ottoman Sultan and the 3rd self-styled Turkish caliph, died at the age of 50 after an incompetent 8-year rule, due to drunkenly slipping on the wet floor of a bath-house, and fatally injuring his head.
253 solar years ago, on this day in 1766 AD, Nikolay Karamzin, Russian poet and historian, was born in the village of Znamenskoye, in Simbirsk Governorate. He is best remembered for his "History of the Russian State”, a 12-volume national history, for the writing of which he left the literary circles of St. Petersburg and Moscow and secluded himself for two years at Simbirsk.
125 solar years ago, on this day in 1894 AD, Grand Ayatollah Mirza Habibollah Rashti, passed away at age of 75 in holy Najaf, Iraq. Born in Amlash in Gilan, northern Iran near the Caspian Sea, he was gifted with a sharp mind and reached the status of Ijtehad at the young age of 25. A product of the famous Islamic seminary of holy Najaf, he studied under prominent scholars such as Ayatollah Sheikh Morteza Ansari Dezfuli and Mohammad Hassan Najafi (author of the famous jurisprudential work "Jawaher al-Kalaam”). His works include the book: "Badi al-Afkaar”.
118 solar years ago, on this day in 1901 AD, for the first time, a sentence was telecommunicated across the Atlantic Ocean through radio waves, without an extension wire. The inventor was Italian Physicist Guglielmo Marconi, who later invented the Radio. This first transatlantic radio signal was from Poldhu in Cornwall, where Marconi was stationed and was received by Percy Wright Page in St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Then electrical engineer John Ambrose Fleming transmitted the Morse code signal for "s” from across the Atlantic Ocean in England and Marconi heard it--three short clicks--through a radio speaker.
115 solar years ago, on this day in 1904 AD, the ulema of Tehran migrated along with their followers to the holy shrine of Seyyed Abdul-Azim al-Hassani in Rayy, in protest to the repressive policies of Mozaffar od-Din Shah Qajar. Some 2000 people joined the ulema and in a few days 20,000 protestors had assembled at the shrine, forcing the Shah to yield to the demands by agreeing to establish courts of law in all towns and cities, and base the country’s laws in accordance with the Islamic shari’a.
108 solar years ago, on this day in 1911 AD, Delhi, the former Muslim capital of North India, replaced Calcutta (presently Kolkata) as the capital of British India. It was declared the capital by Britain’s King George V in the presence of some 562 Indian princes, Muslim nawabs, Hindu maharajahs, soldiers and bureaucrats. After this announcement, George V and his wife Mary of Teck were crowned emperor and empress of India.
94 solar years ago, on this day in 1925 AD, the illiterate British agent Reza Khan Pahlavi forced the Iranian parliament to set up a so-called constitutional assembly to change clauses of the constitution for formally deposing Ahmad Shah Qajar and declaring himself the next king of Iran. In this manner, the 131-year rule of the Qajarids ended and the 53-year rule of the tyrannical Pahlavi regime started.
76 solar years ago, on this day in 1943 AD, Iranian writer, journalist, TV host, university professor, and revolutionary politician, Seyyed Sadeq Tabatabaei, was born in holy Qom to Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad-Baqer Tabatabaei, while his mother was the sister of the famous Iranian leader of Lebanese Shi’a Muslims, Imam Musa as-Sadr – kidnapped and martyred by Libyan leader, Mo’ammer Qadhafi, while on a state visit to Tripoli in 1978. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 72 in Düsseldorf, Germany, where he had been residing for the last six months for treatment of his lung cancer. His body was brought to Tehran and laid to rest in the mausoleum of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA).
71 solar years ago, on this day in 1948 AD, British colonial soldiers surrounded the Sungai Rimoh rubber estate in Batang Kali, shot 24 Malaysian rubber plantation workers and set the village on fire. In 1970 Britain’s government dropped a police investigation, claiming alleged lack of evidence. In 2012, relatives of the brutally killed workers lost their court battle for a full inquiry by the British regime.
56 solar years ago, on this day in 1963 AD, Kenya in east Africa gained independence from Britain. It was occupied as of early 20th century and formally proclaimed a British colony in 1920.
37 solar years ago, on this day in 1982 AD, Iranian author and translator, Dr. Ali Asghar Soroush, passed away at the age of 74. In addition to translation of several books from French into Persian, he was also fluent in English and Arabic. His translated books include the "Ancient Civilizations of the Near East”.
9 lunar years ago, on this day in 1432 AH, the prominent scholar and combatant religious leader, Ayatollah Mohammad Sadeqi Tehrani passed away at the age of 87. He authored about 110 books on various subjects. His main work is the 3-volume exegesis of the holy Qur’an titled "Tafsir al-Furqan”. He also wrote a critique on the Bible titled "Aqaidona” (Our Beliefs). He made vigorous criticisms of the prevailing philosophy at Islamic seminaries, saying its foundation is inconsistent with the Qur’an and Sunnah. He also challenged Western and Eastern philosophers in a significant book titled "Talks between Monotheists and Materialists”.
6 solar years ago, on this day in 2013 AD, Bangladesh Islamist leader, Abdul Qader Mullah, of the Jama’at-e Islami, was tried, sentenced and executed by hanging by the government of Prime Minister Hassina Wajed, despite objections from the UN.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)
Today is Thursday; 21st of the Iranian month of Azar 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 15th of the Islamic month of Rabi as-Sani 1441 lunar hijri; and December 12, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1392 solar years ago, on this day in 627 AD, the Battle of Ninevah was fought in Iraq in which a Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius of the Eastern Roman Empire defeated the Persian forces of Emperor Khosrow II Pervez of Iran’s Sassanid Empire, commanded by the Armenian General, Rokh Vehan (Rahzadh). The Byzantine victory in the 26-year long Roman-Iranian war, broke the power of the Sassanid dynasty, which a few years back in the early stages of the war had conquered much of the Levant, Egypt, and most of Anatolia (modern day Turkey), even besieging the Byzantine capital, Constantinople (present day Istanbul).
921 solar years ago, on this day in 1098 AD, during the First Crusade, the Christian invaders from Europe not just massacred over 20,000 Muslim men, women, and children of the Syrian city of Ma’arrat an-Numan after deceiving them to surrender peacefully, but resorted to cannibalism by eating the bodies of their victims. These barbaric events were chronicled by Fulcher of Chartres, who wrote: "I shudder to tell that many of our people (European Christians), harassed by the madness of excessive hunger, cut pieces from the buttocks of the Saracens (Muslims) already dead there, which they cooked, but when it was not yet roasted enough by the fire, they devoured it with savage mouth.”
510 solar years ago, on this day in 1509 AD, Portuguese admiral, Francisco de Almeida, in a bid to avenge the death of his marauding son, Lorenzo de Almeida, who was killed in the naval Battle of Chaul off the coast of Gujarat by the joint fleet of the Zamorin of Kerala and the Mamluks of Egypt led by Mir Hussain Kurdi, pursued the latter, after indiscriminately burning several Indian ships in the ports of Calicut and Cannanore. Unable to corner Mir Hussain, he took the defenseless town of Dabhol on India’s western coast on December 30, plundered it, and massacred its inhabitants including women, children, and elderly men.
445 solar years ago, on this day in 1574 AD, Selim II, the 11th Ottoman Sultan and the 3rd self-styled Turkish caliph, died at the age of 50 after an incompetent 8-year rule, due to drunkenly slipping on the wet floor of a bath-house, and fatally injuring his head.
253 solar years ago, on this day in 1766 AD, Nikolay Karamzin, Russian poet and historian, was born in the village of Znamenskoye, in Simbirsk Governorate. He is best remembered for his "History of the Russian State”, a 12-volume national history, for the writing of which he left the literary circles of St. Petersburg and Moscow and secluded himself for two years at Simbirsk.
125 solar years ago, on this day in 1894 AD, Grand Ayatollah Mirza Habibollah Rashti, passed away at age of 75 in holy Najaf, Iraq. Born in Amlash in Gilan, northern Iran near the Caspian Sea, he was gifted with a sharp mind and reached the status of Ijtehad at the young age of 25. A product of the famous Islamic seminary of holy Najaf, he studied under prominent scholars such as Ayatollah Sheikh Morteza Ansari Dezfuli and Mohammad Hassan Najafi (author of the famous jurisprudential work "Jawaher al-Kalaam”). His works include the book: "Badi al-Afkaar”.
118 solar years ago, on this day in 1901 AD, for the first time, a sentence was telecommunicated across the Atlantic Ocean through radio waves, without an extension wire. The inventor was Italian Physicist Guglielmo Marconi, who later invented the Radio. This first transatlantic radio signal was from Poldhu in Cornwall, where Marconi was stationed and was received by Percy Wright Page in St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Then electrical engineer John Ambrose Fleming transmitted the Morse code signal for "s” from across the Atlantic Ocean in England and Marconi heard it--three short clicks--through a radio speaker.
115 solar years ago, on this day in 1904 AD, the ulema of Tehran migrated along with their followers to the holy shrine of Seyyed Abdul-Azim al-Hassani in Rayy, in protest to the repressive policies of Mozaffar od-Din Shah Qajar. Some 2000 people joined the ulema and in a few days 20,000 protestors had assembled at the shrine, forcing the Shah to yield to the demands by agreeing to establish courts of law in all towns and cities, and base the country’s laws in accordance with the Islamic shari’a.
108 solar years ago, on this day in 1911 AD, Delhi, the former Muslim capital of North India, replaced Calcutta (presently Kolkata) as the capital of British India. It was declared the capital by Britain’s King George V in the presence of some 562 Indian princes, Muslim nawabs, Hindu maharajahs, soldiers and bureaucrats. After this announcement, George V and his wife Mary of Teck were crowned emperor and empress of India.
94 solar years ago, on this day in 1925 AD, the illiterate British agent Reza Khan Pahlavi forced the Iranian parliament to set up a so-called constitutional assembly to change clauses of the constitution for formally deposing Ahmad Shah Qajar and declaring himself the next king of Iran. In this manner, the 131-year rule of the Qajarids ended and the 53-year rule of the tyrannical Pahlavi regime started.
76 solar years ago, on this day in 1943 AD, Iranian writer, journalist, TV host, university professor, and revolutionary politician, Seyyed Sadeq Tabatabaei, was born in holy Qom to Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad-Baqer Tabatabaei, while his mother was the sister of the famous Iranian leader of Lebanese Shi’a Muslims, Imam Musa as-Sadr – kidnapped and martyred by Libyan leader, Mo’ammer Qadhafi, while on a state visit to Tripoli in 1978. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 72 in Düsseldorf, Germany, where he had been residing for the last six months for treatment of his lung cancer. His body was brought to Tehran and laid to rest in the mausoleum of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA).
71 solar years ago, on this day in 1948 AD, British colonial soldiers surrounded the Sungai Rimoh rubber estate in Batang Kali, shot 24 Malaysian rubber plantation workers and set the village on fire. In 1970 Britain’s government dropped a police investigation, claiming alleged lack of evidence. In 2012, relatives of the brutally killed workers lost their court battle for a full inquiry by the British regime.
56 solar years ago, on this day in 1963 AD, Kenya in east Africa gained independence from Britain. It was occupied as of early 20th century and formally proclaimed a British colony in 1920.
37 solar years ago, on this day in 1982 AD, Iranian author and translator, Dr. Ali Asghar Soroush, passed away at the age of 74. In addition to translation of several books from French into Persian, he was also fluent in English and Arabic. His translated books include the "Ancient Civilizations of the Near East”.
9 lunar years ago, on this day in 1432 AH, the prominent scholar and combatant religious leader, Ayatollah Mohammad Sadeqi Tehrani passed away at the age of 87. He authored about 110 books on various subjects. His main work is the 3-volume exegesis of the holy Qur’an titled "Tafsir al-Furqan”. He also wrote a critique on the Bible titled "Aqaidona” (Our Beliefs). He made vigorous criticisms of the prevailing philosophy at Islamic seminaries, saying its foundation is inconsistent with the Qur’an and Sunnah. He also challenged Western and Eastern philosophers in a significant book titled "Talks between Monotheists and Materialists”.
6 solar years ago, on this day in 2013 AD, Bangladesh Islamist leader, Abdul Qader Mullah, of the Jama’at-e Islami, was tried, sentenced and executed by hanging by the government of Prime Minister Hassina Wajed, despite objections from the UN.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)