Today is Sunday; 12th of the Iranian month of Dey 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 2nd of the Islamic month of Rabi as-Sani 1438 lunar hijri; and January 1, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

2061 solar years ago, on this day in 45 BC, the Julian calendar took effect as the civil calendar of the Roman Empire, establishing January 1 as the new date of the New Year, and thus it has no connection with either Prophet Jesus (PuH) or with Christianity. It replaced the Roman years “Ab Urbe Condita” or AUC which means “from the founding of the city (of Rome)”. In the year 709 AUC, Julius Caesar established for his empire, a calendar based on a solar year of twelve months, and a total of 365 days. The year 45 has been called the "year of confusion," because in that year Julius Caesar inserted 90 days to try to make the months of the Roman calendar conform to the seasons.  It was the predominant calendar in the Roman world, most of Europe, and later in European settlements in the Americas, until it was refined and superseded by the Gregorian calendar in 1582 on 24 February by Pope Gregory XIII, since it had become out of step with the seasons. January, which is named after “Janus”, the pagan Roman deity of doors, gateways, and openings, was no longer the first month of the year after Europe’s conversion to Christianity. It was only from the 16th century onwards that the New Year Day in European countries began to be gradually shifted to January 1, with the Republic of Venice initiating it in 1522, Britain in 1752 and Greece in 1923.   

1336 solar years ago, on this day in 680 AD, Javanshir Arran-Shah, the king of the Iranian land of Arran in what is today the Caucasus Republic of Azerbaijan was assassinated at the age of 64. Born in the Gardman region of Armenia, he reigned from 637 to 680 and was either of Parthian or Persian origin, as his family, the Mihranids, claimed descent from the Sassanid Persians. He was placed on the throne by the Sassanid Emperor in place of his father, Varaz Grigor, who had converted to Christianity from Zoroastrianism. Javanshir, who also converted secretly to Christianity, sided with the Sassanid Dynasty during the Arab invasion of Persia and was personally rewarded by Emperor Yazdegerd III two golden spears, two golden shields and a flag, probably the Derafsh Kaviani. In 636, he and his forces, alongside the Armenian prince Musel III Mamikonian, took part in the famous Battle of al-Qadisiyyah in Iraq between the Persian and Arab armies. The Sassanid defeat made Javanshir lose hope and he fled to his kingdom, from where he wrote a letter to Emperor Constans II and became an ally of the Byzantine Empire. Thereafter, he joined forces with the Iberian king Adarnase I to attack garrisons of the declining Sassanid Empire in the Caucasus, expanding his dominion from Derbend in Daghestan to Aras River on what is today Iran’s northwestern border. Soon, faced with the advancing armies of the Muslims from the south and the Khazar offensive on the north, Javanshir recognized the caliph’s suzerainty, a move that facilitated the spread of Islam in his homeland.

1142 lunar years ago, on this day in 296 AH, Abdullah ibn Mu'taz was murdered at the age of 48 after a reign of a single day and night as caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime. He was installed by a faction of the powerful Turkic slave guards following the death of al-Muktafi, the 17th self-styled Abbasid caliph, and then deposed the next day by the Vizier. He went into hiding, was found, and strangled to death by a servant of his relative, the 13-year old al-Muqtadir, who was now installed as caliph. Abdullah lived a hedonistic life, writing poetry devoted to the pleasures of the immoral life he led. He was a son of Mu'taz, the 13th self-styled caliph, who during his brief 3-year reign – before being deposed, brutally beaten and murdered by the Turkic guards – martyred Imam Ali an-Naqi (AS), the 10th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Like the rest of the clan, Abdullah ibn Mu'taz was also notorious for his enmity towards the Prophet's blessed Ahl al-Bayt. He wrote an ode in praise of what he viewed as merits of the tyrannical and immoral Abbasids over the rest of the Bani Hashem. These superficial verses on the forged merits of the Abbasid usurpers was given a fitting answer in a brilliant piece of versified eulogy by the poet and scholar Ali ibn Mohammad at-Tannoukhi, who points to the God-endowed merits of the Ahl al-Bayt, whose virtues are praised in the holy Qur'an and Hadith.

949 solar years ago, on this day in 1068 AD, Romanos IV Diogenes married the widowed empress Eudokia Makrembolitissa (wife of his predecessor Constantine X) and was crowned Byzantine Emperor. Impetuous by nature, he picked up quarrel with Sultan Alp Arsalan of the Iran-based Seljuq Empire and three years later in 1071 AD was defeated and captured at the crucial Battle of Manzikert (modern Malazgirt in Turkey) in Asia Minor. The battle practically wrecked Byzantine authority in Anatolia and Armenia, and led to the gradual Turkification of Anatolia, with the Seljuqs gaining an area of 78,000 square km in the next decade, which facilitated the mass movement of Turkic Muslims into central Anatolia. Alp Arslan, whose capital was Isfahan, had initially sought a peace treaty with the Byzantines, for he regarded the Fatemid Ismaili Shi'a Muslim Caliphate of Egypt as his main enemy for control of Syria. A peace treaty was signed in 1069 and renewed in February 1071, to enable the Seljuqs to attack the Fatemid controlled city of Aleppo, but Emperor Romanus tried to distract the Sultan long enough for leading a large army into Armenia. Alp Arsalan quickly realized the plot of the Christians and met and defeated them at Manzikert. When the captured Emperor Romanos IV was conducted into his presence, the Sultan forced him to kiss the ground, and asked him what would he have done if he was captured, to which he got the reply that he would have been killed or exhibited in the streets of Constantinople. Alp Arslan said: "My punishment is far heavier. I forgive you, and set you free." Romanos, kept captive for a week, was allowed to eat at the Sultan’s table whilst conditions were worked out for his release; including 10 million gold pieces as ransom for release, which the Sultan reduced to 1.5 million gold pieces as an initial payment followed by an annual sum of 360,000 gold pieces. Alp Arsalan before returning to Isfahan gave Romanos presents and an escort of two emirs and one hundred Mamluks on his route to Constantinople, which he was not destined to enter. He was declared deposed, defeated in combat in his bid to recover the throne, captured, exiled, blinded and died a painful death 1072.

563 lunar years ago, on this day in 875 AH, the Iranian poet, Mohammad ibn Husaam Khoseifi, passed away. Born in the vicinity of the northeastern Iranian city of Birjand, he led a simple life. His books include a Diwan of odes in praise of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). His famous book is “Khavaran-Nameh” on the heroic feats of Imam Ali (AS), the Prophet’s 1st Infallible Heir.

213 solar years ago, on this day in 1804 AD, Haiti gained independence as the first Caribbean country, following a major uprising of black people against the French who had enslaved them since 1677. After independence, Haiti faced unrests and several transitions of power. The US started its meddlesome policies as of 1905 and seized control of Haiti in 1915, which enraged the people and surged anti-American sentiments. In 1934, the US troops were forced to leave Haiti, but Washington continued its interference in Haiti’s domestic affairs.

199 solar years ago, on this day in 1818 AD, the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was published anonymously. It was an attack on industrialization. She was wife of the poet Percy Shelley. This famous tale of a flawed artificial life experiment that produced a monster grew out of a visit at Lord Byron's villa with her husband. There, she shared in a discussion of galvanism, the possibility of re-animating dead matter, and even bringing life to a corpse. Byron suggested writing on the fantasy. Mary completed a full novel. Byron wrote briefly about the vampire legend he had learned about while in the Balkans, expanded by John Polidoni in “The Vampyre”. Two classic horror subjects were thus born.

123 solar years ago, on this day in 1894 AD, the German physicist and mathematician, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, died at the age of 37. His discovery of electromagnetic waves set the stage for several other discoveries in physics and mathematics. The Hertz waves are named in his honor.

116 solar years ago, on this day in 1901 AD, Australia was allowed to manage its own affairs by Britain, though theoretically it remained under the British Crown. The first Europeans to set foot on this continent were the Dutch in 1606, and in the second half of the 18th century with the landing of Captain Cook in 1770, Britain seized this island and used it as the place of exile for convicts and criminals. In the second half of the 19th century, discovery of gold in a number of regions of Australia, led to a gold rush.

111 solar years ago, on this day in 1906 AD, in India, all the railway and telegraph clocks were put at Indian Standard Time (IST), based on the Indian Time Meridian. It was set as the meridian passing through Allahabad at 82.5° east of the Greenwich Meridian longitude. India thus fixed a single time zone, IST, at 5 hours and 30 minutes in advance of GMT. After independence in 1947, Pakistan kept IST for three years until 1951 when it introduced Pakistan Standard Time at 5 hours ahead of GMT.

111 lunar years ago, on this day in 1327 AH, the combatant scholar, Ayatollah Ali Fomani Rashti, attained martyrdom at the age of 59. Born in Rasht, Gilan Province, at the age of 20 he left for Iraq for higher religious studies at the seminaries of the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf, where he attained the status of Ijtehad. On his return to Iran, he settled in his hometown where in addition to his holding of classes he was actively involved in the Constitutional Movement.

105 solar years ago, on this day in 1912 AD, China formally became a republic, following the Hsin-Hai Revolution, which began with the Wuchang Uprising on 10 October 1911, replacing the Qing Dynasty to end monarchial rule.

85 lunar years ago, on this day in 1353 AH, the prominent scholar, Ayatollah Seyyed Musa Zarabadi Qazvini, passed away at the age of 59. Born in Qazvin, after higher religious studies in Tehran, he returned to his hometown where he led the people’s movement against despotism and strongly criticized the deviation of the Constitutional Movement from its goals. He authored several books including “Risala-e E’teqaadaat”.

79 solar years ago, on this day in 1938 AD, Yusuf E’tesami, titled E’tesam ol-Molk, the Iranian journalist, official, publisher, translator, and writer, passed away at the age of 64. His father Ibrahim was from Ashtian and the head of finance of the Iranian province of Azarbaijan. He was the elder brother of the architect and painter Abu’l-Hassan E’tesami, and the father of the famous poetess Parvin E’tesami. In the 1890s, Yusuf E’tesami established the first typographical printing house in Tabriz. He was member of the Majlis or Iranian Parliament for three years from 1909 to 1912, and founded the “Bahar” journal in 1910. At various junctures he served in the Ministry of Education and headed the Court and Majlis Libraries. Proficient in several languages including Arabic, French and German, Yusuf E’tesami produced about forty volumes of translations, in particular some Persian translations of the Egyptian writer Qasim Amin's “Tahrir al-Mara”, Frenchman Victor Hugo's “Les “Miserables”, and the German Friedrich Schiller's “Kabale und Liebe”. He also wrote a commentary in Arabic of the Central Asian Persian Mu’tazalite scholar Abu’l-Qasim az-Zamakhshari's “Atwaq adh-Dhahab”, and compiled a three-volume catalogue of manuscripts in the Majlis Library.

75 solar years ago, on this day in 1942 AD, the jurisprudent Ayatollah Fayyaz Zanjani passed away in his hometown Zanjan, where for three decades he was source of emulation for the local people. Son of the renowned mujtahed Akhound Mullah Mohammad, he completed his religious studies in Tehran, before returning to Zanjan. He was a prominent teacher who groomed several scholars and strove to promote the teachings of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt in society. 

61 solar years ago, on this day in 1956 AD, Sudan gained independence from 57 years of joint Egyptian-British rule. Sudan has been under military rule during most of its post-independence years. Since 1989, General Omar Hassan al-Bashir is in charge of the country, being elected every five years as the civilian president. The British and the US have always schemed to undermine the government of Sudan and have incited separatist revolts, especially in the mostly Christian south and in the Darfur region in the west. Last July, they finally separated southern Sudan and declared it as independent. Sudan covers an area of over 2.5 million sq km, and is situated in eastern Africa. It shares borders with Egypt, Libya, Chad, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

58 solar years ago, on this day in 1959 AD, the Cuban Revolution succeeded, and with the escape of the dictator Fulgencio Batista; the hands of the US were cut from this island state. The victory of the guerrilla movement led by Fidel Castro in 1959 put the US in a difficult situation, since Cuba became the only communist country in Latin America and that too very near the borders of the US.

45 solar years ago, on this day in 1972 AD, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) was adopted worldwide. UTC is determined from six primary atomic clocks that are coordinated by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures located in France. The abbreviation - UTC - was chosen as an international compromise between the initials of the English language form "coordinated universal time" and the French "temps universel coordonné." Time zone boundaries as used by nations are drawn according to political considerations. Leap seconds are added to UTC periodically, about once each 18 months, so the highly accurate atomic clock time matches the time measured by Earth's rotation, which is very slightly variable due to tidal forces with the Moon.

33 solar years ago, on this day in 1984 AD, Brunei was declared independent by Britain, although the British still hold the strings in this tiny oil rich country in Southeast Asia. The majority of people of Brunei are Muslims and they speak the Malay language like the Malaysians and Indonesians.

28 solar years ago, on this day in 1989 AD, the historic epistle of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), was delivered to the last president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, inviting him to return to God and spiritual values. The epistle also invited him to study the divine religion of Islam, and predicted the end of communism. Part of the epistle read: One should turn to facts. The main problem of the Soviet Union is not the right o of ownership, economy and freedom. Your main problem is your disbelief in God; the same problem which has, and will push the West toward the dead end. Your main problem is a long and pointless fight against God; the Source of the universe and creation.” The epistle added: It is perfectly clear to everyone that hereafter communism would be seen in the world’s political history museums because Marxism does not meet any of the actual needs of mankind… I want you to seriously study Islam, because of the ethereal and global values of this dynamic religion, which can salvage nations and solve the major problems of mankind. Two years later, Imam Khomeini’s prophecy about the end of Marxism materialized and the Soviet Union disintegrated.

24 solar years ago, on this day in 1993 AD, the Maastricht Treaty was concluded in the city of same name in the Netherlands, which led to removal of economic borders among the twelve member states of European Economic Community, which has since been called the European Union.

4 solar years ago, on this day in 2013 AD, the Iranian media reported that the Islamic Republic has captured 2 US RQ11 Raven surveillance drones over the last 17 months and that much of their data has been de-coded. Iranian engineers have successfully manufactured this advanced drones and modified them as per Iranian strategies.

AS/ME