Today is Friday; 4th of the Iranian month of Bahman 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 28th of the Islamic month of Jamadi al-Awwal 1441 lunar hijri; and January 24, 2020, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1944 solar years ago, on this day in 76 AD, Hadrian was born into a Roman family in Spain. He succeeded his cousin Trajan as Roman Emperor in 117 and ruled for 21 years till his death in 138 AD. Regarded as one of the five good Roman Emperors, he had joined Trajan's expedition against the Parthian Empire of Iran and was serving as governor of Syria when the latter died. Neither during the first phase of the Parthian campaign nor during its 2^nd phase when the Romans were driven from Mesopotamia or modern Iraq by the Iranians, Hadrian did anything of note. He deemed it wise to surrender Trajan's gains, considering them to be indefensible against Parthian pressure. There was almost a war with Parthia around 121, but the threat was averted when Hadrian succeeded in negotiating a peace with Emperor Osroes I or Khosrow.

1158 lunar years ago, on this day in 283 AH, the acclaimed Arabic poet, Ali ibn al-Abbas ibn Jurayj, known as Ibn ar-Roumi, passed away at the age of 62. Born in Baghdad, he was the son of an Iranian mother and a half-Roman Muslim father, which explains his surname Ibn Roumi. By the age of twenty he earned a living through his poetry which would culminate in his masterpiece Diwan. His political patrons included the Taherid ruler of Khorasan, Obaydallah ibn Abdullah, the Abbasid Caliph's Iranian minister, Ismail ibn Bulbul, and the politically influential Nestorian family of Banu Wahd. He was a Shi'ite Muslim. He died of illness, although some have suggested that poison may have been the cause.

895 solar years ago, on this day in 1125 AD King David IV, ruler of the Caucasus land of Georgia, died at the age of 52 after a reign of 36 years. He succeeded in driving out the Seljuq Turks from most of the cities including Tbilisi, after winning the Battle of Didgori in 1121. His reforms of the army and administration enabled him to reunite the country and bring most of the lands under Georgia’s control.

353 solar years ago, on this day in 1667 AD, the Treaty of Breda was signed by Britain and Holland, according to which the latter handed over its colonies in the newly-discovered American Continent. The most important region that came under British control was the state of New York, which the Dutch used to call New Amsterdam. In return, Britain gave to Holland part of Guyana in South America.

281 solar years ago, on this day in 1739 AD, Iranian forces led by Nader Shah Afshar defeated the Moghal armies at Shahdaula in Punjab and proceeded towards Karnal for the final battle that saw the surrender of Emperor Mohammad Shah “Rangileh”. Nader invaded the subcontinent in pursuit of the Hotaki Afghan rebels and the failure of the weak administration in Delhi to hand over these refractory elements despite his writing of several letters to the Moghal Emperor. Nader Shah restored Mohammad Shah to the throne of Delhi and returned to Iran with a huge booty that included the world famous “Koh-e Noor” (Mountain of Light) diamond, the “Takht-e Tawous” (Peacock Throne) and the Tent of Pearls.

244 solar years ago, on this day in 1776 AD, the German author, Ernst Hoffmann, was born. He had a strong sense of imagination and has left behind a number of books, including “Strange Tales”. He died in 1822.

215 lunar years ago, on this day in 1226 AH, prominent Iranian Islamic scholar, Mullah Ali Mirza Khalili, was born. He honed his skills in theology, jurisprudence, and mathematics, and spent his life on research, study, and writing of books. His works include “Khaza'in al-Ahkam”. He passed away in 1297 at the age of 71.

122 lunar years ago, on this day in 1319 AH, the great Islamic scholar, Allamah Mirza Mohammad Hassan Ashtiani Tehrani, passed away. He authored books on various Islamic sciences, and published the lectures and thoughts of the celebrated scholar, Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Morteza Ansari Dezfuli. He, along with other combatant ulema, opposed monopolization of tobacco trade, which was granted to a British company by the Qajarid King, Nasser od-Din Shah. Allamah Ashtiani was a firm believer that no falsehood can approach the holy Qur'an. He says in his book “Bahr al-Fawa'ed” that “all leading Mujtahideen and Usoolieen widely believe that the Holy Qur'an has not been distorted. In fact, many have even cited a consensus of opinion or ijma’ in this regard, and there is in particular a complete consensus of opinion that no additions have been made to the Qur'an. Thus, the narrations that point to deletions being made to the Qur'an contain weak chains.” He also wrote the valuable book “Mabaheth al-Alfaaz”.

163 solar years ago, on this day in 1857 AD, the University of Calcutta was formally founded by the British colonialists as the first fully-fledged university in south Asia.

161 solar years ago, on this day in 1859 AD for the first time oil was extracted through drilling by Edwin Laurentine Drake in the US State of Pennsylvania at a depth of 230-meter. The oil rig and other drilling equipment of this well are kept in a museum in the US as symbols of emergence of the global oil industry.

90 solar years ago, on this day in 1930 AD, Iran’s celebrated contemporary painter, Mahmoud Farshchian, was born in Isfahan. He studied under the tutelage of Haji Mirza-Agha Imami and Eisa Bahadori for several years. After receiving diploma from Isfahan's High School for Fine Arts, he left for Europe, where he studied works of the great western masters of painting. Consequently, he developed an innovative artistic style with universal appeal. Upon return to Iran, he worked at the National Institute of Fine Arts and in time, was appointed director of the Department of National Arts and professor at the University of Tehran's School of Fine Arts. All the while, word of his exemplary works spread far and wide. So far, he has held 57 individual exhibits and 86 group shows in Iran, Europe, the US, and Asian countries. His works adorn several museums and major collections worldwide. "The Museum of Master Mahmoud Farshchian", set up at Sa’dabad Cultural Complex in Tehran in 2001 includes such paintings as the pathetic scene of “Sham-e Gharibaan” – or the evening following the tragic martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS), as well as the Martyrdom of Ali Asghar, (the infant son of the Imam) and the “Zamen-e Ahou” that depicts the Deer Hunter, the released doe with her fawns, and Imam Reza (AS). Farshchian has designed the Zarih (the silver grill latticed enclosure of the tomb of Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala), as well as the roof, door and cellar in the shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad. He is the founder of his own unique school of Iranian Painting, which adheres to classical form while making use of new techniques. His powerful and innovative paintings on vibrant canvases have an appealing fusion of the traditional and the modern.

81 solar years ago, on this day in 1939 AD, Chile in South America was rocked by its deadliest earthquake that killed approximately 28,000 to 30,000 people

62 solar years ago, on this day in 1958 AD, after warming to hundred million degrees, 2 light atoms were bashed together in the US to create a heavier atom, resulting in the 1st man-made nuclear fusion. Unethical and Godless regimes have misused science and technology for destructive and suicidal pursuits, instead of working for peace, tranquility and collective development of mankind. The US is the world’s most criminally armed nuclear power whose doomsday terrorism includes the dropping of atomic bombs on the unsuspecting Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 when World War 2 had almost ended. 

55 solar years ago, on this day in 1965 AD, British politician, Winston Churchill, died at the age of 91. He joined the British army in 1895 and participated in colonial wars. He was elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative Party MP, and later served as a minister in various positions, including war. He was twice elected as Prime Minister – the second time during World War 2. He authored several books, including “The World Crisis” in four volumes, and a series of books under the name of “The Second World War”, in addition to the “History of the English-Speaking Peoples”. Churchill was an unabashed imperialist and was notorious for his defence of Britain’s colonialist policies of expansion and exploitation around the world.

41 solar years ago, on this day in 1979 AD, on reports of the return home from exile of the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), the fugitive Shah's premier, Shapour Bakhtiyar, ordered closure of all airports in Iran. The people demanded their opening, and led by Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari and Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Hussaini Beheshti, staged a sit-in at Tehran University’s Mosque.

26 lunar years ago, on this day in 1415 AH, Ayatollah Seyyed Reza as-Ṣadr passed away at the age of 75 in holy Qom, where as a seminary lecturer he wrote several books. Born in holy Mashhad, he was the son of the Source of Emulation Ayatollah Seyyed Sadr od-Din as-Sadr and the elder brother of Imam Seyyed Musa as-Sadr, who unified the Shi’a Muslims of Lebanon. His maternal grandfather was Ayatollah Hussain Tabatabaei Qomi. His teachers included Ayatollah Seyyed Shehab od-Din Mar'ashi, Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Muhaqqiq Damad, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Boroujerdi, and the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), who taught him philosophy and gnosis.

18 solar years, on this day in 2002 AD, the illegal Zionist entity murdered its own former agent, Elie Hobeika of the Christian Phalangist militia of Lebanon, along with three others in Beirut through a car bomb, following the latter’s agreement to testify against the then Zionist premier Ariel Sharon who as war minister in 1982 had ordered the cold-blooded massacre of over 5,000 Palestinian men, women, and children at the Sabra and Shatillah refugee camps.

9 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, two car bombs struck holy Karbala, resulting in the martyrdom of over 30 people and injury to scores of others, as pilgrims massed for Arba’een rituals at the shrine of Imam Husain (AS). A year later on the same day, a series of car bombs triggered by Saudi- backed terrorists in Shi’a Muslim areas of the capital Baghdad, resulted in the martyrdom of over 20 people, while over 60 others were injured as day labourers were targeted.

AS/SS