Today is Thursday; 1st of the Iranian month of Farvardin 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 14th of the Islamic month of Rajab 1440 lunar hijri; and March 21, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

Today, the 1st of Farvardin, marks the start of the calendar year in Iran, and we take the opportunity to felicitate our listeners on Nowrouz or New Year Day. The Iranian calendar is based on the Spring Equinox, which, as per astrological calculations actually occurred a little after noon at exactly 01:28:27 hours Tehran time on March 21 as Planet Earth completed its yearly orbit around the Sun. Iranians throughout the country ushered in, with recitation of the holy Qur’an and special supplications to God, the year 1397 solar hijri, which like its lunar counterpart (1439 AH), is dated and calculated in accordance with the auspicious migration from Mecca to Medina on 1^st Rabi al-Awwal of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

According to a hadith, the Vernal or Spring Equinox is associated with the creation of the Father of mankind, Adam, and believed to be the day when the Ark of Noah came to rest on Mount Joudi after the great deluge; the day the waters parted for Prophet Moses to cross into Sinai from Pharaonic Egypt; the day the Prophet of Islam, following the peaceful surrender of Mecca, lifted Imam Ali (AS) on his shoulders to pull down the idol installed atop the holy Ka'ba by pagan Arabs. It is also the day when Imam Ali (AS) assumed the caliphate or political rule, to start the government of social justice, after being deprived of his right of political leadership of the Islamic realm for 25 years.

1092 solar years ago, on this day in 927 AD, Emperor Taizu, founder of the Song Dynasty of China, was born as Zhao Kuangyin to a military commander. He became a distinguished military commander and seized power through a coup d'état that forced the young Emperor Gong of the Later Zhou Dynasty to abdicate. He took the temple name of Taizu, and during his 16-year rule, he conquered the states of Southern Tang, Later Shu, Southern Han and Jingnan, thus reunifying most of China and effectively ending the tumultuous Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He was murdered at the age of 49 by his younger brother, who succeeded him as Emperor.

760 lunar years ago, on this day in 680 AH, the Second Battle of Homs was fought in western Syria in which the Muslims under command of the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt and Syria, Mansour Qalawun, defeated the Mongols led by Mongke Timur, a brother of Abaqa of the Iran-based llkhanid Empire. After the Mongol defeats at the hands of the Mamluks at Ain Jalut in Gaza 11 years earlier and at Albistan 4 years earlier, the Ilkhan had dispatched a large army of 50,000 Mongols and 30,000 Christians led by King Demetrius II of Georgia and King Leo II of Armenia. The two armies met south of Homs, where initially the Mongol-Christian alliance had the upper hand and scattered the Mamluk's left flank, but the Muslims personally led by Sultan Qalawun routed the Mongol centre, wounding Mongke Timur and forcing his army to flee. The following year, Abaqa died and his successor, Nicholas Tekuder Khan, who was baptized as a Christian, reversed his policy towards the Mamluks, by converting to Islam, changing his name to Ahmad, and forging an alliance with the Muslims against the Crusaders.

670 solar years ago, on this day in 1349 AD, the Christians slaughtered some 3,000 Jews in Efurt, Germany, by blaming the Black Death Plague upon their presence. Throughout history, Jews have been persecuted and killed by Christians for their insulting of Prophet Jesus and his mother the Virgin Mary (peace upon them).

477 solar years ago, on this day in 1542 AD, Naseer od-Din Humayun Shah, with financial and military aid provided by Shah Tahmasb Safavi of Iran, reached Qandahar and after liberating it handed it over to the Iranian army as promised during his refuge in Qazvin, following his loss of India to the Pashto adventurer, Sher Shah Suri. After the death of Sher Shah, Humayun wrested control of India with Iranian help to re-establish the Moghal Empire founded by his father, Zaheer od-Din Babar – a protégé of Shah Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid Empire of Iran.

463 solar years ago, on this day in 1556 AD, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer was burned at the stake in Oxford after two years of imprisonment on charges of treason and heresy, on the orders of Queen Mary I, who was a Catholic opposed to the separation of the Anglican Church from Rome. As a pioneer of English Reformation he had helped build the case for annulment of the marriage of Henry VIII to Mary’s mother, Catherine of Aragon, which was one of the causes of separation of the English Church from Rome. As Archbishop of Canterbury Cranmer established the first doctrinal and liturgical structures of the Church of England. He published the first officially authorised vernacular service, the “Exhortation” and the “Litany”. His legacy lives on within the Church of England through the “Book of Common Prayer” and the “Thirty-Nine Articles”. Anglicans commemorate Cranmer as a Reformation Martyr on 21 March.

251 solar years ago, on this day in 1768 AD, was born French mathematician and Egyptologist, Joseph Fourier, who exerted strong influence on mathematical physics through his book “Théorie Analytique de la Chaleur” (The Analytical Theory of Heat). He introduced an infinite mathematical series to solve conduction equations. This analysis technique allows the function of any variable to be expanded into a series of sines of multiples of the variable, which is now known as the “Fourier Series”. His equations which spawned many new areas of study in mathematics and physics, including the branch of optics named after him, have subsequently been applied other natural phenomena such as tides, weather and sunspots.

218 solar years ago, on this day in 1801 AD, the Battle of Alexandria was fought between British and French forces near the ruins of Nicopolis in Egypt on the narrow spit of land between the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Abuqir. The British marched upon Alexandria and besieged it. The French surrendered in September.

162 solar years ago, on this day in 1857 AD, a devastating earthquake in Tokyo, Japan, killed over 100,000 people.

148 solar years ago, on this day in 1871 AD, Otto von Bismarck became “Chancellor” of the German Empire, which was established as a result of his engineering of a series of wars to unify German states (excluding Austria) under the leadership of Prussia, whose ruler, King Wilhelm I appointed him “Minister President”. On becoming chancellor he used balance of power diplomacy to preserve German hegemony in Europe and provoked three short, decisive wars against Denmark, Austria and France, aligning the smaller German states behind Prussia in defeating archenemy France. His diplomacy of “realpolitik” and firm rule at home gained him the nickname the “Iron Chancellor”.

141 lunar years ago, on this day in 1299 AH, the prominent Islamic scholar, Ayatollah Sadr od-Din Sadr, was born in the holy city of Kazemain in Iraq. After mastering Arabic literature and mathematics he attended the Najaf Seminary for higher studies, and soon attained the status of Ijtehad. At the age of 32 years he took up residence in the holy city of Mashhad, in Khorasan, northeastern Iran, and stayed for some 17 years, before returning to Iraq. He was invited to Qom by Grand Ayatollah Abdul-Karim Ha'eri, whom he succeeded as head of the Qom Seminary. He was an accomplished poet in Arabic, and composed a moving elegy on the desecration of the Baqie Cemetery by Wahhabi vandals. Among his valuable compilations, mention could be made of “Mukhtasar Tarikh al-Islam” (A Concise History of Islam).

94 solar years ago, on this day in 1925 AD, Iran officially replaced the lunar hijri calendar with the solar hijri calendar, which though based on the earth’s rotation around the sun, is dated like its lunar counterpart, from the migration from Mecca to Medina of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). It was precisely calculated by the Iranian scientist Omar Khayyam a millennium ago in 1079. It is more perfect than the Gregorian calendar. The lunar hijri calendar is also in use in Iran since it is indispensable for keeping track of Islamic dates, eids, ritual, the fasting month of Ramadhan, the Hajj pilgrimage and the mourning month of Moharram.  

84 solar years ago, on this day in 1935 AD, Iran formally asked the international community not to use anymore the Greek-European term “Persia” for the country and to call it by its native name “Iran” in all documents.

59 solar years ago, on this day in 1960 AD, the apartheid regime of South Africa massacred in Sharpeville a group of unarmed peaceful black demonstrators, killing over 70 and wounding some 200 others. The uproar among South Africa's black population was immediate, and the following week saw demonstrations, protest marches, strikes, and riots around the country. More than 18,000 people, including prominent anti-apartheid activists known as members of the Congress Alliance were detained. On the 5^th anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre, UNESCO designated March 21 as “International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination”. Since 1994, March 21 has been commemorated as Human Rights Day in South Africa.

56 solar years ago, on this day in 1963 AD, Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA) declared the annual Nowrouz as a period of mourning in protest to the anti-Islamic and anti-national policies of the British-installed and US-backed Pahlavi regime. This timely move made people throughout Iran shun the Nowrouz frivolities of the Shah, thereby exposing him as an anti-national stooge of the Americans.

51 solar years ago, on this day in 1968 AD, the Battle of Karameh in Jordan occurred between Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the illegal Zionist entity, called Israel, which attacked a Palestinian camp. At least 1230 Zionist troops were killed and dozens of tanks and armored vehicles were destroyed or seized by Palestinians.

50 solar years ago, on this day in 1969 AD, Ali Daei, one of Iran’s top footballers and former captain of the national team, was born in Ardebil. He played for top international clubs such as Bayern Munich and Hertha BSC. He is the world's all-time leading goal-scorer in international matches. After retirement he coached the national team. Later he became coach of Persepolis club. From June 2007 until 2013, he was a member of FIFA.

29 solar years ago, on this day in 1990 AD, Namibia gained independence from South Africa. It was occupied in the 19th century by Germany, which plundered its wealth. After World War I, Britain seized Namibia and handed it to the apartheid regime of South Africa. With formation of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), freedom struggle started in 1976, and SWAPO gained the right to vote at the UN. Nonetheless, the South African regime, with the support of Western regimes continued its domination over Namibia until 1990 when struggles of Namibian people bore fruit.

21 solar years ago, on this day in 1998 AD, Iran’s Father of Modern Chemistry, Dr. Abu’l-Hassan Sheikh, passed away at the age of 91. Born in a religious family, his father Dr. Mohammad Sheikh titled “Ehya ol-Molk” for his scientific efforts, was a direct descendant of the famous religious scholar of the Safavid Era, Sheikh Horr Ameli, who had migrated to Iran from what is now Lebanon. Dr. Abu’l-Hassan Sheikh left for Germany at the age of 20 to study chemistry and pharmaceuticals, and returned to Iran eight years later as a full-fledged scientist. For 32 years he taught at the university, grooming a large number of students in the scientific fields. In 1951, he attended the Islamic Conference in the city of Bayt al-Moqaddas, as a representative of Ayatollah Seyyed Abu’l-Qasim Kashani, who in those days led the Islamic movement in Iran against capitalism, despotism and foreign hegemony. Dr. Sheikh used to attend the classes on ethics, gnosis, theology and jurisprudence, of prominent Ayatollahs, and strove to promote Islamic teachings among his friends, family and associates. He wrote several books including the 2-volume “Theory of Chemistry” and the 2-volume work titled “Chemical Experiments”.

20 solar years ago, in 1999 AD, a balloon achieved the first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight. After 20 days of flight, the experimental Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon, flown by Brian Jones and Bertrand Piccard, touched down in the Egyptian desert. Bertrand is the grandson of the balloon flight pioneer, Auguste Piccard.

10 solar years ago, on this day in 2009 AD, Nowruz, the Iranian New Year Day, was formally inscribed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a cultural tradition observed by numerous peoples, spreading from the Balkans to the Subcontinent and from the shores of the Persian Gulf to Central Asia, including China’s Xinjiang. It called Nowruz a festivity marking the first day of spring and renewal of nature. UNESCO said Nowruz promotes values of peace and solidarity as well as reconciliation and neighbourliness, thus contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples and different communities.

9 solar years ago, on this day in 2010 AD, International Nowruz Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/64/253 of 2010, at the initiative of several countries that share this holiday – such as Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kirghizstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, India, Turkey, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Macedonia, etc. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his address: "Nowruz transcends national borders, religious divides and other differences to unite communities with bonds of goodwill. Such common purpose can help humanity rise to this moment in history."

6 solar years ago, on this day in 2013 AD, Syria’s top Sunni Muslim cleric, Sheikh Mohammad Sa’eed Ramadhan al-Bouthi, was martyred at the age of 84 by Takfiri terrorists while giving a religious lesson to students at the Iman Mosque in the central Mazraa district of Damascus. The bomb attack killed at least 42 people and wounded more than 84. Al-Bouthi, who was elected the Chief Sheikh or religious authority for the whole of Greater Syria (including Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan), was targeted for preaching Islamic unity and warning of the dangers of US-Zionist plot against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

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