Today is Sunday; 7^th of the Iranian month of Bahman 1397 solar hijri; corresponding to 9^th of the Islamic month of Jamadi al-Awwal 1440 lunar hijri; and January 27, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1921 solar years ago, on this day in 98 AD, Trajan succeeded his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; and under his rule the Roman Empire reached its maximum extent. Born in an Italian family in Spain in what was then the city of Italica (now on the outskirts of Seville), he died in 117 at the age of 64 in Selinus in Cilicia in what is now the southeastern coastal region of Turkey, after a reign of 19 years, while fleeing from the counterattacks of Iran’s Parthian Empire, following his invasion of Mesopotamia (Iraq) and retreat. He pursued an aggressive military policy to expand the Roman Empire, including breaking of 50 years of peace with the Parthian Empire in 110 by attacking Armenia which was a province of the Iranian Empire. After two years, the Iranians liberated Armenia and drove out the Romans. Trajan again invaded Armenia and tried to infiltrate Gilan, and then in 115 he launched a surprise attack on Mesopotamia that saw Roman armies reach for the first time the shores of the Persian Gulf in what is now Kuwait. So elated was Trajan by this unexpected success that in 116 he prematurely sent a laurelled letter to the Senate in Rome, boosting of what he called the conquest of the Parthian Empire. However, as he left the Persian Gulf for Babylon, the Iranians led by Sanatrukes, the nephew of their Emperor, Osroes I (Khosrow), imperiled Roman positions in both Mesopotamia and Armenia, forcing Trajan to withdraw his troops that had penetrated Khuzestan. Although Sanatrukes was killed in the battle that the Iranians lost at Seleucia and their capital Ctesiphon (Mada’en near modern Baghdad) was temporarily occupied by the Romans, Trajan's deteriorating health started to fail him. Following the heat stroke he suffered during the unsuccessful Roman attempt to capture the fortress city of Hatra on the Tigris near Mosul in what was then the Iranian province of Khavaran, and coupled with the renewed uprising of the people of Mesopotamia, Trajan was forced to retreat. His claim of being the conqueror of Parthian Empire turned out to be hollow as he succumbed to his worsening health.

1358 solar years ago, on this day in 661 AD (as per the Gregorian calendar), Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), the Commander of True Believers, the Leader of the Pious, the Symbol of Justice, the Epitome of Valour, and the Gateway of the City of Knowledge, was struck a fatal blow on the head by the poisoned sword of the renegade, Abdur-Rahman Ibn Muljam, while engrossed in ritual morning prayer in the Grand Mosque of Kufa. The actual lunar hijra date of this incident is 19^th Ramadhan 40 AH, and two days later on the 21^st the Imam departed for his heavenly abode. Imam Ali (AS), as the cousin, son-in-law, and divinely-decreed vicegerent of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), needs no introduction. The only person ever to be born in the holy Ka'ba, he grew up under the personal care of the future Prophet, and was always at his side, years before the dawn of the first revelation at Cave Hera and until the soul of the Seal of Prophet flew to the ethereal heavens. The entire 63-year lifespan of the Imam was spent in the service of God – whether in the niche of prayer; whether on the Prophet's bed on the Night of Hijra; whether in the battlefield with his flashing blade Zulfiqar to defend Islam from pagan Arabs; whether during the Mubahela debate with the Christians of Najran; whether on the seat of judgment during his model administration of justice; and whether on the pulpit to deliver eloquent sermons that are regarded till this day as bezels of timeless wisdom. His unsurpassed merits have been praised by God Almighty in many an ayah of the holy Qur'an, culminating in his appointment as the Prophet's vicegerent at Ghadeer-Khom on 18^th Zilhijja, 10 AH. After the Prophet’s passing away he patiently endured the usurpation of his right of political leadership. Some 25 years later when the caliphate came begging at his door, he reluctantly took up the reins of government and exposed the rebellious hypocrites in their true colours, before attaining martyrdom. All Sufi orders trace their origin to his ascetic way of life, while Sunni Muslims, despite regarding him as the 4th caliph, as per the order of political succession, consider him to be superior to all and everybody else after the Prophet. Today his golden-domed shrine in Najaf, Iraq, is the centre of pilgrimage for people from all over the world.

758 lunar years ago, on this day in 682 AH, Fakhr al-Muhaqqin Mohammad ibn Hassan al-Hilli was born in Hilla in Iraq. He was the son of the celebrated Allamah Hilli, under whose guidance he grew up and reached the status of Ijtehad – independent reasoning based on Holy Qur'an and Prophet’s Hadith. He lived a life of piety. He wrote prolifically on a wide variety of topics including exegesis of the holy Qur'an, theology, jurisprudence, and philosophy. Among his books, mention can be made of "al-Kafia”, and "Tahsil an-Nejaat”. He passed away in 771 AH.

703 lunar years ago, on this day in 737 AH, the North African Islamic scholar, Abu Abdullah Mohammad ibn al-Haj al-Abdari al-Fasi, passed away in Egypt. He wrote the book "Madkhal ash-Shara ash-Shareef ala'l-Madhaheb” (Introduction to Islamic Jurisprudence According to the Schools of Thought). Published in 4 volumes, it treats many different subjects. His views are very much influenced by the Iranian scholar al-Ghazali's "Ihya’ Uloum ad-Din". He spent much of his life in Tunis and Egypt and, for some time taught at the Universities of Fez in Morocco.

448 solar years ago, on this day in 1571 AD, Shah Abbas I, the 5th and greatest ruler of the Safavid dynasty of Iran, was born in Khorasan’s capital Herat (currently in Afghanistan) during the era of his grandfather, Shah Tahmasb I. His father was Shah Mohammad Khodabanda, whom he succeeded at the age of 16, while his mother was Khair un-Nisa Begum Mahd-e Olya, the daughter of the ruler of Mazandaran who traced her lineage to Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), the 4th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). On his father’s side he was descended from Imamzadah Hamza (AS) – a son of the Prophet’s 7th Infallible Heir, Imam Musa Kazem (AS). During his 42-year rule, he reduced the influence of the Qizilbash corps in the administrative and military affairs, and reformed the army, enabling him to fight the Ottoman and Uzbek occupiers to liberate Iran's lost provinces. He decisively defeated the Ottomans in several battles in the Caucasus, in Anatolia and in Iraq, where he rebuilt on a grand scale the shrines of the Infallible Imams in Najaf, Karbala, and Kazemain. He drove the Uzbeks from the northern and western parts of Khorasan, and in fulfillment of a vow walked on foot from his new capital Isfahan to distant Mashhad, where he rebuilt the shrine of Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He also liberated Iranian territories from the Portuguese in the Persian Gulf including Bahrain, and from the Mughals of the Subcontinent – the city of Qandahar (currently in Afghanistan). He was a great builder and moved his capital from Qazvin to Isfahan, which he adorned with beautiful mosques and other edifices including the world famous Naqsh-e Jahan Square, to the extent that the city came to be known as "Nisf-e Jahan” (Half the World). He patronized scholars, poets, painters, and carpet-weavers, thereby creating the Isfahan School to which Iran owes some of the finest arts in history. He respected religious figures, and during his era some of the greatest ulema and philosophers of Iran, such as Shaikh Baha od-Din Ameli, Mir Baqer Damad and Mullah Sadra Shirazi flourished. He also promoted trade and diplomacy, establishing relations with European powers to keep the Ottomans in check, and strengthening ties with the Shi'ite Muslim sultanates of Golkandah-Haiderabad and Bijapur in the Deccan (southern India), where the name of the Safavid Emperor was recited in the Friday Prayer sermons. At the same time he maintained friendly relations with the Mughal Emperor Jahangir of Hindustan (northern Subcontinent).

426 solar years ago, on this day in 1593 AD, The Vatican started the seven-year unjust trial of the Italian scholar Giordano Bruno for his confirming of the discoveries of Islamic scientists and saying that it is the earth that revolves around the sun, which in turn is just another star moving in space. The Catholic Church finally burned him at the stake for his refusal to retract his statements and writings. A Dominican friar, poet, philosopher, mathematician, and astrologer, Bruno’s cosmological theories went beyond the Copernican model and were deeply influenced by Islamic scientists. After his death he gained considerable fame, particularly among 19th and early 20th century commentators who, focusing on his astronomical beliefs, regarded him as a martyr for free thought and scientific ideas. Bruno also did not agree with the interpretations and scope of God held by the Christian Church and the weird concept of Trinity.

263 solar years ago, on this day in 1756 AD, the Austrian musician, Wolfgang Mozart, was born in Salzburg. He studied music under his father, wrote his first symphony at an early age, and soon conducted his first orchestra. He spent the last ten years of his brief 35-year life in Vienna. He composed several masterpieces. His famous operas include: "The Marriage of Figaro", and "The Magic Flute".

205 solar years ago, on this day in 1814 AD, German philosopher, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, died at the age of 52.Born in a poor family, he was one of the forerunners of the School of Idealism and was highly influenced by his contemporary, Immanuel Kant.

193 solar years ago, on this day in 1825 AD, the US Congress imposed a law for relocation of the Eastern Amerindians, as part of the policy of "Native American Genocide”. The term "Trail of Tears” is also used for the ethnic cleansing and forced relocation of the so-called Red Indians from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Those badly affected included the Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw tribes, which were uprooted from their homelands and forced to settle in the so-called Indian Territory in eastern sections of the present-day Oklahoma State. Many natives suffered from exposure, disease and starvation on the route to their destinations. Many died, including 2,000-6,000 of 16,542 relocated Cherokee. The regimes in the US have a long history of aggression, expansionism, genocide, breach of treaties, and ethnic cleansing.

169 solar years ago, on this day in 1850 AD, the prominent jurisprudent Fathollah bin Mohammad Namazi Gharawi, popular as Shaikh osh-Shari’ah Isfahani, was born in Isfahan in a family of scholars from Shiraz. After initial studies he enrolled at the seminary of holy Mashhad, where his teachers included Mullah Haidar Ali Isfahani, Mullah Abdul-Jawad Khorasani Modarris Kabir, and Mullah Ahmad Sabzevari. Here he established himself as a budding scholar with dynamic views. At the age of 30, he went to Iraq for higher studies at the famous seminary of holy Najaf, where his teachers were Mirza Habibollah Rashti and Shaikh Mohammad Hussain Faqih Kazemi. He soon became an authority on different branches of Islamic sciences, and the Marja’ or Source of Emulation. He wrote several books and groomed many scholars, such as Seyyed Abdul-Hadi Shirazi, Shaikh Mohammad Hassan al-Muzaffar an-Najafi, Aqa Bozorg Tehrani, and Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Tabataba'i Boroujerdi. Sheikh osh-Shari’ah Isfahani was also politically active against the colonialists, issuing fatwas on Italy’s aggression on Libya, the Russian attack on Khorasan and shelling of the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad, the invasion of the Ottoman state by the allied European powers during World War 1, and the landing of British troops in Basra and their occupation of Iraq. He rejected any political, military, economic and cultural domination of Islamic lands by the colonialists. He passed away at the age of 73 and was laid to rest in the courtyard of the holy shrine of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS).

187 solar years ago, on this day in 1832 AD, English author, Lewis Caroll was born. Named Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, he was a mathematician and photographer, but is mainly remembered for the children’s book "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and its sequel. He taught mathematics at Christ Church College, Oxford from 1854 to 1881. He wrote mathematics books, including "Euclid and his Modern Rivals", which is of historical interest.

139 solar years ago, on this day in 1880 AD, Thomas Edison received a patent for the electric incandescent lamp he had invented on 21 November 1879. His invention of the light bulb had a major impact on the electronics industries. During the two years of research it took to develop the bulb, one of Edison's assistants noticed a flow of energy from one electrode to another in a pattern later known as the Edison Effect. Later, the Edison Effect was discovered to be an electron flow, which laid the basis for the electron tube and thence the entire electronics industry. It is interesting to note that over a millennium and four centuries ago, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (AS), had said that from water one day light would be created.

128 solar years ago, on this day in 1891 AD, Russian author, Ilya Ehrenburg, was born. For a while, he worked as a reporter in Spain and started his literary works by writing poems. His books include "The Storm" and "The Fall of Paris". He died in 1967.

119 solar years ago, on this day in 1900 AD, the first sedative was manufactured by German Chemist, Felix Hoffmann, and was later named "Aspirin”. Aspirin also dilutes blood and prevents heart attacks.

93 solar years ago, on this day in 1926 AD, John Logie Baird, a Scottish inventor, gave the first public demonstration of a true television system in London, launching a revolution in communication and entertainment. His invention, a pictorial transmission machine he called a "televisor,” used mechanical rotating disks to scan moving images into electronic impulses. This information was then transmitted by cable to a screen where it showed up as a low-resolution pattern of light and dark. Baird's first television program showed the heads of two ventriloquist dummies, which he operated in front of the camera apparatus out of view of the audience.

92 solar years ago, on this day in 1927 AD, Britain's Bedouin agent, the Wahhabi chieftain, Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud, who two years earlier had seized Najd from the Aal-e Rasheed dynasty, declared it as 'kingdom'. A year earlier on 8th January 1926, he had desecrated the Grand Mosque of Mecca (Masjid al-Haraam) by installing himself as king in its sacred precincts, after the bloodbath he unleashed in occupying the Hijaz, where he slaughtered tens of thousands of Muslims in Mecca, Medina, Ta'ef, Jeddah, etc, in addition to destroying the holy cemeteries and shrines of Jannat al-Baqie and Jannat al-Mo'alla. On 20th May 1927, Britain declared him ruler of the kingdoms of Najd and Hijaz. Five years later on 23rd September, 1932, after he had seized the Shi'ite Muslim principalities of al-Ahsa, Qatif, etc, on the eastern oil-rich Persian Gulf coast of the Arabian Peninsula, the British proclaimed him king of what he now began to call "Saudi Arabia" in his name. It is the only country named after a ruling family, and continues to loyally serve the British, Americans and Israelis by creating dissensions amongst Muslims.

46 solar years ago, on this day in 1973 AD, the Paris Peace Accord was inked between the US and North Vietnam, for withdrawal of US forces from South Vietnam. Although the US continued to bomb the northern parts of Vietnam, in 1975, due to mounting US fatalities, it was forced to withdraw its forces after eleven years of occupation. On April 29, 1975, Vietnam was reunited.

42 solar years ago, on this day in 1977 AD, the acclaimed Iranian literary researcher, Mojtaba Minavi, passed away at the age of 76. Born in Tehran, he started life as a teacher and became a university lecturer. Among his works is "Panzdah Goftaar” (Fifteen Discourses) – a collection of his research articles. He researched and published many Arabic and Persian manuscripts.

40 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, several ulema held a sit-in at Tehran University Mosque in protest to obstructions placed by the Shah's premier, Shapour Bakhtiar, on the return home from exile of the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). This sit-in was a decisive measure and foiled the Pahlavi plots.

(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en)