Today is Tuesday; 27th of the Iranian month of Mehr 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 16th of the Islamic month of Muharram 1438 lunar hijri; and October 18, 2016, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

511 solar years ago, on this day in 505 AD, the Egyptian Sunni scholar Abdur-Rahman Jalal od-Din as-Suyuti, passed away in Cairo at the age of 60. Born in a family of Persian origin that had migrated from Iran during the Mamluk period and settled in Asyut, in Upper Egypt from where it derived the family name as-Suyuti, he was a follower of the Shafe’i School. An expert in jurisprudence, hadith, history, exegesis of the Holy Qur'an, and Arabic grammar and literature, he earned the title Ibn al-Kutub or Son of Books. His books are still taught today in Islamic seminaries. In his exegesis titled "ad-Dur al-Manthour" (Scattered Pearls), he has pointed to the ayahs revealed by God Almighty on the outstanding merits of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), i.e. Hazrat Fatema Zahra, Imam Ali, Imam Hasan and Imam Husain (peace upon them). He also wrote a separate book on the Merits of the Ahl al-Bayt. Suyuti traveled to Syria, Hijaz, Yemen, India and Morocco, and settled down towards the end of his life in his homeland of Egypt.

476 solar years ago, on this day in 1540 AD, Spanish invasion forces led by Hernando de Soto destroyed the fortified Amerindian town of Mabila in present-day Alabama, killing Chief Tuskaloosa, massacring men and children, and kidnapping and raping women. The Spaniards, carrying the cross in one hand and the sword in the other, destroyed the centuries-old native civilizations of Central and South America.

451 solar years ago, on this day in 1565 AD, Philippines was occupied by Spain, following the landing of Portuguese sailor, Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 AD. The Spanish forcibly converted the people to Christianity at a time when Islam was enlightening the people of the Philippines. The Spanish plundered the natural resources of the Philippines until the year 1898 AD, when they were defeated by the US, which occupied these islands. In 1946, the Philippines finally gained independence. Philippine consists of over 7,000 Islands. It is situated in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, covering an area of 300,000 sq km. Over 15 percent of the people are Muslims and mainly settled in the south.

344 solar years ago, on this day in 1672 AD, Poland and Turkey signed the Peace of Buczacz to end hostilities between the two powers in south-central Europe.

178 lunar years ago, on this day in 1260 AH, Amir Abdul-Qader of Algeria was finally detained after fifteen years of struggle against the French occupiers. One of the reasons behind his failure was the treason of the pro-French rulers of Morocco who did not allow him to use the border areas for the independence struggle. Incarcerated in a French jail for nine years, he was later released on condition of not returning to Algeria. He died in 1883 in Damascus, Syria. His full name was Seyyed Abdul-Qader bin Mohieddin al-Hassani, al-Jaza'eri, and he was born in a family claiming descent from Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS), the elder grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Abdul-Qader, who returned to Algeria, a few months before the Turks lost it to the French invaders in 1830 AD, had during his 5-year journey to Egypt, Arabia, and Syria, met with, and was highly impressed by Imam Shamil of Daghestan – the leader of the struggle against Russian expansion in the Caucasus which recently had been seized by the Czar from the Qajarid rulers of Iran.

156 solar years ago, on this day in 1860 AD, Xianfeng Emperor, the 7^th ruler of the Manchu Dynasty of China was forced to the unequal Treaty of Tientsin at the Convention of Peking, thereby formally ending the Second Opium War imposed on China by Britain, France, the US and Russia. These series of unequal treaties were designed to humiliate China and opened more Chinese ports to the foreigners, permitted foreign legations in the Chinese capital Beijing, allowed Christian missionary activity, and legalized the import of opium.

149 solar years ago, on this day in 1867 AD, the US took formal possession of Alaska after purchasing it from Russia for $7.2 million on June 30 of the same year. The day is marked annually in the state as Alaska Day. Russia sold the rich land of Alaska, situated northeast of Canada and on the coastlines of Pacific Ocean and near the Arctic circle, due to its financial needs. Alaska covers an area of over 1.5 million square km. It is now the 49th US state and is rich in natural resources, especially oil and gold, in addition to fishing. The deal was conducted by US Secretary of State, William Seward for about 2 cent per acre, and was long derided by Americans as Seward’s Folly for Alaska’s remoteness.

145 solar years ago, on this day in 1871 AD, Charles Babbage, English mathematician and inventor of a calculating machine, died at the age of 79. Considered a "father of the computer", he is credited with inventing the first mechanical computer that eventually led to more complex designs.

104 solar years ago, on this day in 1912 AD, Italy forced the tottering Ottoman Empire to sign treaty by which it occupied Libya. A year earlier the Italian troops had invaded Libya. The people of Libya resisted against the Italian occupiers for years, and in 1951 won independence, five years following Italy’s defeat in World War 2 and occupation of the country by a joint British-French force.

94 solar years ago, on this day in 1922 AD, the BBC Radio Station was founded in England. Initially it was a private radio station but it came under the supervision of British government and became a state-run English radio in 1927. BBC Network started to air its TV programs as of 1936. The budget of BBC radio station, which broadcasts programs in different languages across the world, is allocated by the British regime. Although BBC claims to be impartial, it has worked as the propagandist and mouthpiece of the British regime and has set the stage for London's interference in the domestic affairs of different countries. Moreover, BBC has always aired biased reports and news, justifying the colonial policies of the West, especially Britain, in Third World countries.

85 solar years ago, on this day in 1931 AD, Thomas Alva Edison, the American inventor who held a world record 1,093 patents (including those held jointly) and created the world's first industrial research laboratory, died at the age of 88. He showed an early curiosity for explanations of how everything worked and was especially interested in chemistry. He began selling newspapers on the railroad at age 12, and learned how to operate a telegraph. In 1868, his first invention was an electric vote-recording machine. In 1869, he made improvements on the stock-ticker. In 1876 he moved his laboratory to Menlo Park, N.J., where he invented his phonograph (1877) and the first prototype of a commercially practical incandescent electric light bulb (1879). Other inventions included storage batteries, a dictaphone, and a mimeograph. By the late 1880s he made motion pictures, and by 1912 was experimenting with talking pictures.

36 solar years ago, on this day in 1980 AD, Iranian Prime Minister, Mohammad Ali Rajai, delivered a keynote address at the UN General Assembly, unmasking the Western-backed atrocities of the Pahlavi regime against the Iranian people as well as the US imposition of war on Islamic Iran through Saddam. He also elaborated on the global topics of importance, such as the Zionist usurpation of Palestine and the conspiracies hatched by colonialists across the world. Following the speech, representatives of the US administration requested a meeting with him, but he rejected it because of US crimes and meddling in the affairs of Iran and other countries. Less than a year later Rajai was elected president of Iran, but was soon martyred in a bomb blast triggered by the US-backed MKO.

29 solar years ago, on this day in 1987 AD, in a blatant act of state terrorism, the US, using 6 warships and 3 aircraft attacked and destroyed the two Iranian oil platforms of “Reshadat” and “Risalat” off Rostum Island in the Persian Gulf, to show its support for Saddam of Iraq’s repressive Ba’th minority regime whose forces were suffering defeats on the battlefronts of the 8-year imposed war.

22 solar years ago, on this day in 1994 AD, Ayatollah Shaikh Mohammad Baqer Kamrehi passed away at the age of 96 and was laid to rest in the courtyard of the mausoleum of Seyyed Abdul-Azim Hassani in Rayy, Tehran. Born in Khomein, he mastered theology, jurisprudence, exegesis of the holy Qur’an, Hadith, history, Arabic and Persian literature, and lexicography. He authored over fifty books in various fields, “God-Consciousness”, “Pillars of Faith”, “Pearls of Wisdom”, and “Role of Religion in Social Spheres”.

7 solar year ago, on this day in 2009 AD, some fifty Iranian citizens, including 5 senior commanders of the Islamic Revolution’s Guards Corps (IRGC), 10 security personnel and the rest civilians, achieved martyrdom in Sistan-Baluchestan Province in a bomb blast triggered by the terrorist Jundullah outfit, operating from across the southeastern border in Pakistan and supported by the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Deputy Commander of IRGC ground forces, General Noor Ali Shooshtari, as well as a chief provincial IRGC commander, Rajab Ali Mohammadzadeh were among the martyrs.

6 solar years ago, on this day in 2010 AD, the prominent Iranian bibliographer, Dr. Ali Naqi Monzavi, passed away at the age of 88. Son of the famous Islamic bibliographer, Ayatollah Sheikh Aqa Bozorg Tehrani, he studied both at the Islamic seminary and the university. After obtaining PhD in Islamic sciences from Tehran University in 1958 he started as a lecturer, but due to his activities against Shah's despotic regime, he was forced to leave Iran for Lebanon in 1967. He continued his academic studies and obtained another PhD in philosophy from Saint Joseph University in Beirut in 1971. He returned to Iran in 1976 and continued to compile, translate and edit books. He also cooperated with Ali Akbar Dehkhoda and Mohammad Moin in compilation of the Dehkhoda Lexicon. He has left behind several books, including "The Arabic to Persian Lexicon".

AS/MG