Today is Monday; 24th of the Iranian month of Mehr 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 25th of the Islamic month of Muharram 1439 lunar hijri; and October 16, 2017, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1344 lunar years ago, on this day in 95 AH, Imam Ali Zain al-Abedin (AS), the 4^th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), attained martyrdom at the age of 57 as a result of a fatal dose of poison administered on the orders of Waleed I, the 6^th self-styled caliph of the usurper Omayyad regime. The 4^th Imam, who was born in Medina in 38 AH, was the son of the Immortal Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (AS). His mother was Princess Shahrbano (SA) of Iran, the daughter of the last Sassanid Emperor, Yazdgerd III. Following the tragedy of Karbala, the 23-year old Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS) was made a prisoner along with the womenfolk and children of the Prophet’s blessed household, and taken to the courts of the tyrants in Kufa and Damascus. He waged a unique jihad in this state of captivity and despite being in chain and fetters, rocked the court of Yazid through his eloquent sermons that exposed the hypocrisy and Godlessness of the Omayyads. During the 34 years of his imamate (divinely-decreed authority), he revived the genuine teachings of Islam and groomed a large number of scholars at the fledgling academy of Medina which was to blossom under his son, Imam Mohammad al-Baqer (AS) and later under his grandson Imam as-Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS), at whose feet 4,000 scholars used to study various branches of science. The 4^th Imam was also known as “Seyyed os-Sajedin” or simply “Sajjad”, because of his long hours of prostration to God Almighty. Among his immortal legacy is the Treatise on Rights (Risalat-al-Hoqouq), which is more perfect than the UN Charter of Human Rights. He also bequeathed to humanity the brilliant collection of supplications known as “Sahifat as-Sajjadiyah” that not only covers morals and fundamentals of faith, but also scientific issues, including the weight of light.

1085 lunar years ago, on this day in 354 AH, the Imami scholar Muhassin Ibn Ali Qazi Tanukhi passed away. He was a master of Arabic literature and wrote a fitting reply on the God-endowed merits of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt by rejecting the superficial eulogy composed by Ibn Mo’tazz on the forged superiority of the Abbasids.

268 solar years ago, on this day in 1758 AD, American lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and prolific author, Noah Webster was born. He has been called the "Father of American Scholarship and Education." His blue-backed speller books taught five generations of American children how to spell and read. His name became synonymous with "dictionary," especially the modern Merriam-Webster dictionary that was first published in 1828 as An American Dictionary of the English Language. In 1806, Webster published his first dictionary, titled "A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language". In 1807 he began compiling an expanded and fully comprehensive dictionary, titled "An American Dictionary of the English Language"; it took eighteen years to complete. To evaluate the etymology of words, Webster learned twenty-six languages, including Old English (Anglo-Saxon), German, Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Arabic, and Sanskrit. He hoped to standardize American speech, since Americans in different parts of the country used different languages. They also spelled, pronounced, and used English words differently. His book contained seventy thousand words, of which twelve thousand had never appeared in a published dictionary before.

224 solar years ago, during the French Revolution, Queen Marie Antoinette was beheaded. Prosecutors claimed she had financially abused the French Monarchy. Her husband, Louis XVI had been guillotined the previous January. At the time of her execution, she was clad in rags, with her once-dazzling locks shorn by the executioner's assistant.

202 solar years ago, on this day in 1815 AD, the second and final exile of French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, started with his arrival as a British captive on Saint Helena Island, off the coast of South Africa, following his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon died in exile in May 1821 AD.

186 lunar years ago, on this day in 1253 AH, the first Iranian monthly newspaper: “Kaghazi Akhbar” was published by Mirza Saleh Shirazi in two pages in Tabriz. Its articles were about Tehran and other Iranian cities, as well as Arab countries, Turkey, and the Subcontinent. A copy of this monthly is kept in the British Museum.

72 solar years ago, on this day in 1945, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) was set up by the United Nations in Quebec City, Canada, before being moved Washington, US. It leads international efforts to defeat hunger. In 1951 it was shifted to its permanent headquarters in Rome, Italy. It serves both developed and developing countries and helps them modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries, in order to ensure good nutrition and food security for all. As of 8 August 2013, FAO has 194 member states, along with the European Union (a "member organization"), and the Faroe Islands and Tokelau, which are associate members. Every year on October 16 it organizes World Food Day in member countries. 

71 solar years ago, on this day in 1946 AD, the Nuremburg Tribunal handed death sentences to nine senior German Nazi officials as war criminals, including air force commander, Hermann Goering, who committed suicide a few hours prior to his execution. The Nuremburg Tribunal also slapped long term prison terms on nine other senior Nazi officials and acquitted three others. The representatives of the victorious countries, that is, the US, Soviet Union, Britain, and France, presided over the trial, which started on September 30, 1946.

66 solar years ago, on this day in 1951 AD, Pakistan’s first Prime Minister, Liaqat Ali Khan, died at the age of 56 years, after being shot twice in the chest by an assassin at a public meeting in Rawalpindi. Born in an aristocratic family in Karnal, East Punjab of undivided India, he was educated at the Aligarh Muslim University and at the Oxford University in Britain. Trained as lawyer, on his return to India, he rose to prominence as an influential member of the Muslim League led by Mohammad Ali Jinnah. On the birth of Pakistan in 1947, he became the prime minister.

65 solar years ago, on this day in 1952 AD, the famous Indo-Pakistani lawyer, political activist, poet and literary figure, Ghulam Mohi od-Din Bhik Nairang, passed away in Lahore at the age of 76. Born in Ambala in a family that had migrated to India from Tirmiz in Greater Khorasan, he studied law and joined the All-India Muslim League. He was a close friend of the Philosopher-Poet of the East, Allamah Mohammad Iqbal Lahori, and was active in the political and social fields. On the creation of Pakistan he settled in Lahore. In addition to his poetical composition "Kalaam-e Nairang" he was a regular contributor to prestigious Urdu magazines such as "Zamana", “Makhzan”, “Humayun”, “Aligarh Old Boys”, and his own “Tableegh”. His articles on political, national and literary topics also appeared in the prominent newspapers of those.

53 solar years ago, on this day in 1964 AD, China detonated its first atomic bomb, and became the fifth country with nuclear arms after the United States (1945), Great Britain (1953), the Soviet Union (1961), and France. It was exploded in the vicinity of Lop Nor, a lake in a remote area of Central Asia. The Chinese Government stated "This is a major achievement of the Chinese people in their struggle to increase their national defence capability and oppose the US imperialist policy of nuclear blackmail and nuclear threats."

42 solar years ago, on this day in 1975 AD, Rahima Banu, a two-year old girl from the village of Kuralia in Bangladesh, became the last known person to be infected with naturally occurring smallpox. An estimated 300-to-500 million deaths occurred during the 20th century because of smallpox. As recently as 1967, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 15 million people contracted the disease and that two million died in that year. After vaccination campaigns throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the WHO certified the eradication of smallpox in 1979.

39 solar years ago, on this day in 1978 AD, while the people of Kerman in southeastern Iran were commemorating at the city's Jame' Masjid or Main Mosque, the traditional 40th day of the martyrs of the Tehran uprising against the despotic regime of the Shah, Pahlavi agents attacked the mourners, martyring and injuring scores of them. This led to development of a new wave of protests against the British-installed and American-backed regime, resulting in chain demonstrations throughout the country that eventually led to the victory of the Islamic Revolution under the guidance of Imam Khomeini (RA).

28 solar years ago, on this day in 1989 AD, the prominent Iranian musician, Morteza Hananeh, passed away at the age of 67. He was one of the founders of Tehran Symphonic Orchestra. He also produced movie scores and compiled several books, including: "How to Make a Melody"

22 solar years ago, on this day in 1995 AD, the million-man-march was staged in Washington in front of the White House, by the oppressed Afro-American community, in coordination with the Nation of Islam, in protest to the inhuman policies of US administrations. For the first time, the cry of Allah-o Akbar echoed on the streets of the US, as the various speakers, urged the people to unite in self-help and self-defense against economic and social ills plaguing the Afro-American community.

AS/ME