Today is Tuesday; 21st of the Iranian  month of Dey 1395 solar hijri; corresponding to 11th of the Islamic month of Rabi as-Sani 1438 lunar hijri; and January 10, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1218 lunar years ago, on this day in 220 AH, the Iranian Muslim astrologer and mathematician, Abu Ali al-Khayyat, passed away. He has left behind numerous compilations, including the books “Sair al-Amal” and “al-Mawalid”, which has recently been translated into English as the “Judgment of Nativities” and published in the West. His works, including the “Book of Aristotle” were translated into Latin in medieval Europe.

945 solar years ago, on this day in 1072 AD, Muslim rule ended on the island of Sicily, with the surrender of the capital, Palermo to the Norman invader Robert Guiscard, although Islamic culture and Arabic language continued to linger in Sicily for over a century-and-a-half, influencing arts and sciences. The first Muslims to arrive in Sicily were Syrians in 652. In 827, the Aghlabids, the Abbasid governors of the Province of Ifriqiyya, took control of Sicily, and in 902, Taormina, the last Byzantine stronghold on the island surrendered to the Muslims. In 909 the Aghlabids were overthrown by the popular Ismaili Shi'ite Muslim movement that established the Fatemid Dynasty in North Africa. Sicily passed into Fatemid hands, and Taormina was renamed "al-Mu'ezziya" in honour of the Fatemid caliph, al-Mu'ez le-Dinillah, whose famous Greek Muslim general from Sicily, Jowhar as-Saqali, went on to take control of Egypt from the Abbasid caliphate, and build the city of Cairo as the new capital of the Fatemids. After the fall of the last Muslim enclave on Sicily to the Normans in 1078 Guiscard’s son, Count Roger I, kept the Arab administration intact and had Muslims among his advisers and court scholars, including the famous geographer, Seyyed Mohammad al-Idrisi al-Hassani – a descendant of Imam Hasan Mojtba (AS), the elder grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Muslim influence and Arabic language continued in Sicily till 1240s when the last of the Muslims were deported from the island and mosques turned into churches.

923 solar years ago, on this day in 1094 AD, the 8th self-styled caliph of the Fatemid Ismaili Shi'ite Muslim Dynasty of Egypt-North-Africa-Syria-Hijaz, Abu Tamim Ma'ad al-Mustansir-Billah, passed away in his capital Cairo, at the age of 65, after a reign of 58 years, having succeeded his father, Abu'l-Hassan Ali az-Zahir as a 7-year boy. During the early years of his rule, his mother administered state affairs. The Iranian philosopher-poet, Hibatullah ibn Musa Mu'ayyad fi'd-Din ash-Shirazi, served him as the "da‘i" (missionary), eventually attaining the highest rank of "Bab al-Abwab" (Gate of Gateways). Son of Musa Ibn Dawoud, the chief Ismaili missionary in the Fars region of Iran, he was the main ideologue and was also in charge of the "Dar al-Ilm" (House of Knowledge) in Cairo, where missionaries from both inside and outside the Fatemid Empire were trained. In the last twenty years of his reign, following the death of Mu'ayyad Shirazi in 1078, the caliph's Grand Vizier and head of the armed forces, the Armenian Muslim, Badr al-Jamali, became the supreme temporal authority, and succeeded in taming the turbulent Turkic Mamluks, who through constant infighting, had drained the treasury and destroyed the famous library of the Fatemids, scattering precious books and even using them to light fires. Many Iranians served in various capacities in the Fatemid court in Cairo, including the Arabic Grammarian Ibn Babshad.

830 lunar years ago, on this day in 608 AH, the prominent judge, historian, and literary figure, Ibn Khallikan, was born in the Iraqi city of Arbil in a Kurdish family. He was educated in Damascus and Aleppo and lived for several years in the Egyptian capital Cairo. He served as the Chief Judge in Damascus, where he passed away in Rajab 681 AH, and was laid to rest in the foothills of the Qassiyoun Mountain. His most important works include the famous biographical dictionary in several volumes, titled “Wafiyaat al-Ayaan wa-Anba Abna az-Zamaan" (Deaths of Eminent Men and History of the Sons of the Epoch).

542 solar years ago, on this day in 1475 AD, in the Battle of Vaslui (also known as the Battle of Racova), Stephen III of Moldavia in alliance with other Christian powers, inflicted a defeat on Suleiman Pasha, the Ottoman Governor of Rumelia, in what is now Romania. The defeat angered Sultan Mohammad II, the Conqueror of Constantinople, who resolved to personally lead the next campaign, while it brought Stephen the title "Athleta Christi" (Champion of Christ) from Pope Sixtus IV. The cause of the battle was the refusal of the Moldovan ruler, who was initially a vassal of the Ottomans, to hand over some of the liberated territories to the Turks, in addition to Stephen's ambition to seize the principality of Radu Beg or Radu the Handsome, the Muslim brother of the notorious Dracula. The Ottomans were also distracted by the growing power of the Aq Qoyunlu leader, Uzun Hassan, on their east (in Anatolia, Iraq and Iran), and viewed it as a more serious threat to them than any army the Christians of Europe could muster. Thus, Sultan Mohammad's ultimatum to Stephen to forfeit Chilia, to abolish his aggressive policy in Wallachia, and to come to Constantinople with his delayed homage, brought no results. In 1484, however, his son and successor, Bayezid II avenged the defeat by conquering all of Chilia and leaving Moldova landlocked.

364 solar years ago, on this day in 1653 AD, the world’s first newspaper, named "Gazeta", was published in Venice, Italy. Since the price of each copy was one Gazeta, the Venetian currency, the daily was given the same name, which was later used for papers published in other countries. In English it became "Gazette."

193 solar years ago, on this day in 1824 AD, cement was made for the first time by the English chemist, Joseph Aspdin, and in this manner a major development took place in construction and development operations. This chemist studied and researched for a long time to prepare a material which would reinforce buildings. After several tests, he managed to make cement.

97 solar years ago, on this day in 1920 AD, The League of Nations formally started its work in Geneva, Switzerland, following its formation after World War I on the basis of a 16-article charter. Initially, the newly formed Soviet Union did not join it, while France and Britain only supported it from outside. The charter of The League called on member states to build relations on mutual respect toward each other, and to take measures against violation of their independence and territorial integrity. Punishments were also specified for member states violating the charter, but the inability of the League to practically implement its decisions was the main problem and the main reason behind its dissolution. This was the main factor that made major European powers such as Germany and Italy to ignore this body during the years leading to World War II. After World War II, the United Nations replaced The League of Nations in April 1946, but also inherited some of the structural problems of its predecessor.

60 solar years ago, on this day in 1957 AD, the prominent Iranian geographer and researcher, Professor Abu'l-Qasem Sehaab, passed away at the age of 70. Born in Tafresh, he studied theology and jurisprudence under the ulema of the city at a young age, and soon gained proficiency in Persian, Arabic, French, English, and German languages. He has left behind almost seventy books in different domains, including the book on the lives of the Infallible Imams; the translation of "History of the Holy Qur’an", and the translation of "Carpenter’s Geographical Works" in six volumes from English into Persian. He established the first Geography and Cartography Institute of Iran as a private institute in 1936. Currently the Sehaab Institute of Geography and Cartography is one of the largest geographical institutes in Iran. The library of this institute has over 16,000 books on geography; 18,000 geographical periodicals, and 20,000 maps.

54 solar years ago, on this day in 1963 AD, the electronic watch was invented by two Swiss industrialists, Solvil and Titus, after twelve years of hard work, by joining hundreds of precise tools. In such a watch, the electrons automatically move the hour and minute hands, without the need to wind or rewind it.

45 solar years ago, on this day in 1972 AD, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returned to the newly independent Bangladesh as president after spending over nine months in prison in Pakistan. As a Bengali Muslim activist, he spear-headed the campaign for independence of East Pakistan from the domination of West Pakistan, which lay over a thousand miles away across the vast expanse of India. Mujib, as leader of the Awami Party, won the 1970 general elections, but was deprived from becoming prime minister of the whole of Pakistan by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who demanded that his People’s Party be included in the government. Talks failed and the demand for independence intensified, resulting in a brutal crackdown in East Pakistan by military ruler, President Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan. Mujib was arrested and taken to West Pakistan as political prisoner. Pakistan’s defeat by India in the December 1971 war resulted in the collapse of Yahya Khan’s government in the wake of the surrender of East Pakistan to the Indian military and its emergence as independent Bangladesh. Mujib was released and returned home via London and New Delhi as Bangabandhu (Father of the Nation). During Mujib’s tenure as leader, Muslim religious leaders and politicians in Bangladesh intensely criticized his adoption of state secularism. He alienated nationalists and those in the military who feared Bangladesh would become too dependent upon India. They worried about becoming a satellite state by taking extensive aid from the Indian government and allying with that country on many foreign and regional affairs. Mujib's imposition of one-party rule and suppression of political opposition also alienated large segments of the population. On August 15, 1975, a group of army officers invaded the presidential residence with tanks, killed Mujib and overthrew his government for what they perceived as treachery. His daughter Sheikh Hasina Wajed who was visiting West Germany, survived. She is the current head of state of Bangladesh.

16 solar years ago, on this day in 2001 AD, Lebanon’s prominent religious leader, Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Mahdi Shams od-Din, passed away in Beirut at the age of 65. Born in the holy city of Najaf, in Iraq, where his scholarly father, Sheikh Abdul-Karim, was engaged in seminary studies, Mohammad Mahdi became an accomplished scholar after years of study under such leading ulema as Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Mohsin al-Hakeem and Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abu’l-Qassem Kho’i . He was active in social spheres as well and helped his famous Iraqi colleague, Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Baqer as-Sadr, establish the Islamic party “Hizb ad-Da’wa”. For years he was editor of al-Adwa journal, before moving to his homeland permanently at the age of 36 to serve the downtrodden people of Lebanon. In 1975, he became deputy to Imam Seyyed Musa Sadr, the Chairman of the Supreme Islamic Shi’a Council of Lebanon. From early 1979 onwards until his death 22 years later, he practically discharged the duties of the Council’s Chairman following the abduction and subsequent martyrdom of Imam Musa Sadr in Libya by Mo’ammar Qadhafi. He authored several books including “Ansar al-Husain” or “Companions of Imam Husain martyred in Karbala”, and “Thawrat al-Husain fi’l-Wujdan ash-Sha’bi”, which means “The Revolution of Imam Husain and its Impact on the Consciousness of Society”.

5 solar years ago, on this day in 2012 AD, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a senior official of Iran’s Natanz nuclear site was martyred in Tehran by agents of the US and the illegal Zionist entity at the relatively young age of 33 years. A post-graduate in chemical engineering, he was studying for PhD, and had to his credit several excellent scientific articles published in Persian and English. He was targeted along with Reza Qashqai – who survived – while leaving his house. The Leader of Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in a message of condolences on the martyrdom of this brilliant young scientist, referred to Iran's astounding scientific progress, and emphasized: "This is a historical movement, which has its roots in the indomitable resolve of the Iranian nation. We will strongly and resolutely continue this path."

AS/MG