Today is Monday; 21st of the Iranian month of Khordad 1397 solar hijri; corresponding to 26th of the Islamic month of Ramadhan 1439 lunar hijri; and June 11, 2018, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

3202 solar years ago, on this day in 1184 BC, the long Trojan War came to its end with the sack and burning of Troy in Asia Minor or present day Turkey by the Greeks, according to the calculations of the geographer and mathematician Eratosthenes, the librarian of the Great Library of Alexandria, then the capital of Ptolemaic Egypt.

2341 solar years ago, on this day in 323 BC Alexander of Macedonia, conqueror of the Achaemenid Empire, died at the age of 33 in Babylon in what is now Iraq. Because of the laxity of Emperor Darius III and the Persian generals, this upstart adventurer succeeded in seizing from the Iranians what is now Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, and finally Iran itself along with what are now Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan, all of which were Persian satrapies. Alexander brutally suppressed the people and wantonly destroyed Persepolis (near modern Shiraz), which was the capital of the vast Achaemenid Empire. After him, his generals set up independent dynasties in different regions. In Iran, the Greek Seleucids were finally driven out by the Parthians, who set up the next great Iranian Empire covering what is now Iraq, Afghanistan and parts of central Asia.

1232 solar years ago, on this day in 786 AD, the Fakh Uprising against the tyrannical rule of the usurper Abbasid regime took place near Mecca resulting in the martyrdom of Hussain ibn Ali ibn Hassan, a descendant of Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS), the elder grandson and 2nd Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). It was the most brutal incident after the heartrending Tragedy of Karbala, and was perpetrated by the 4th self-styled Abbasid caliph, Musa al-Hadi during his short reign of two years. Most of the supporters of the Ahl al-Bayt were martyred in this unequal battle, and the heads of the martyrs mounted on lances were taken to the caliph's court in Baghdad. Among the few survivors, was Idris Ibn Abdullah al-Hasani, who managed to escape to Egypt, where aided by Wadhih, a postal manager, he reached Morocco, and founded the Idrisi Shi'ite Muslim state that flourished for almost 200 years, independent of the Abbasid caliphate.

726 solar years ago, on this day in 1292 AD, English philosopher and Franciscan friar, Roger Bacon, died. His access to the Latin translations of the Arabic works of Islamic scholars enlightened his mind, and he was greatly influenced in the field of optics by the monumental "Kitab al-Manazer" of Abul-Hassan Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen). The impact of al-Kindi (Alkindus) is also evident in his writings. Moreover, Bacon's investigations of the properties of the magnifying glass show the clear influence of the Iranian Islamic scientist Ibn Sahl's research in dioptrics. His works also indicate his familiarity with the books "Kitab ad‐Dalalaat ala'l‐Ittesalaat wa‐Qiranaat al‐Kawakeb"(Book of Indications of the Planetary Conjunctions), written by the Iranian Islamic astronomer, Abu-Ma'shar Ja'far ibn Mohammad al-Balkhi.

446 solar years ago, on this day in 1572 AD, English playwright and poet, Ben Jonson was born. Regarded as the second most important English dramatist after William Shakespeare, during the reign of James I, he is best known for the satirical plays “Every Man in His Humour” (1598), “The Foxe” (1605), and “The Alchemist”. There was intense literal rivalry with Shakespeare, and he in fact scoffed at two apparent absurdities in Shakespeare's plays: a nonsensical line in “Julius Caesar”, and the setting of “The Winter's Tale” on the non-existent seacoast of Bohemia. Johnson died in 1637.

314 lunar years ago, on this day in 1125 AH, prominent Iranian Islamic scholar, Jamal od-Din Mohammad Khwansari, passed away in his hometown Isfahan. Born in a religious and academic family, his equally learned father was Aqa Hussain Muhaqqiq of the famous Khwansari family which traced its lineage to Imam Musa Kazem (AS), the 7^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He initially studied under his father and maternal uncle, Muhaqqiq Sabzevari, the author of “Dhakhirat al-Ma'ad fi Sharh al-Irshad”. He completed his studies under the famous Mohammad Taqi Majlisi and became an authority on logic, philosophy, theology, principles of theology, and exegesis of Holy Qur'an. He has written an annotation on the philosophical masterpiece "ash-Shefa" of the Iranian Islamic genius Abu Ali ibn Sina His most popular book, however, is “Kulthum-Nana” or “Aqa’ed an-Nisa”, which is a humoristic book that criticizes laypeople’s approach to religiosity or piety and in particular women's ill-founded religious beliefs in the Safavid period. The book counts as the oldest written document concerning the moral codes, manners and conducts of Iranian laywomen in that period. The book was written in order to combat superstitious beliefs. It has been translated into English, French and Turkish.

163 solar years ago, on this day in 1855 AD, the Sun’s light rays were classified based on scientific approaches and the colors of its spectrum were identified by two German scientists, Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen. The radiation of light beams during rainfall, and formation of rainbows, is one of the beautiful phenomena that have attracted the attention of mankind. The Theory of Aristotle is the oldest one in this regard. Later the Islamic scientists, such as Abu Ali Sina (Avicenna), Abu’l-Hassan Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen), and Qotb od-Din Shirazi developed this field. Finally, Kirchhoff and Bunsen proved it via an experimental method.

159 solar years ago, on this day in 1859 AD, Klemens von Metternich, German-Austrian politician, and 1^st State Chancellor of the Austrian Empire, died at the age of 86. His repressive policies led to unrest across the majority of non-German territories of the Austrian Empire, including Hungary.

44 solar years ago, on this day in 1974 AD, the founder of the association of guidance and support for blind Iranians, Dr. Mohammad Khaz'ali, passed away. He lost his eyesight in childhood due to contraction of small pox and studied at the school of the blind. Given his strong memory, he excelled in his scientific studies and obtained a PhD in Law at Tehran University. He was fluent in Arabic, French and English. He wrote several books, including the translation titled “The Philosophy of Islam”. He was active in welfare projects for blind people across the globe, serving as member of the Middle East Executive Committee at The National Council for Welfare of the Blind and The International Union of the Blind.

28 solar years ago, on this day in 1990 AD Hojjat al-Islam Sheikh Ali Mazari was martyred by the enemies of Islam in Sistan-Baluchestan Province in southeastern Iran. He started his activities against the Shah’s despotic regime during the Khordad 15 Uprising of June 5, 1963, following the detention of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA). After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he set up cultural associations in mosques to guide youths, and founded numerous schools and libraries in the deprived regions.

25 solar years ago, on this day in 1993 AD, Iranian diplomat in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, Rasoul Montazeri, while providing much needed relief aid to the besieged Muslims of Bosnia-Herzegovina, was martyred by Croat militias, allied with the Serb chauvinists.

22 solar years ago, on this day in 1996 AD, scientists reported the discovery of a new planet near the star Lalande 21185, the 4th closest star to Earth, 8.1 light-years away. The nearest is Proxima Centauri at 4.2 light-years. Analysis of the data indicates that the planet is about the size of Jupiter and revolves around its star every 30-35 years.

11 solar years ago, on this day in 2007 AD, Iran announced it will help build five new refineries across Asia with a total capacity of 1.1 million barrels per day in a bid to strengthen ties in the region. The countries selected by Iran are China, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Syria.

7 solar years ago, on this day in 2011 AD, in the Persian Gulf island state of Bahrain, tens of thousands of peaceful demonstrators joined the first public rally in months against the repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime, as the main opposition party of the long-suppressed Shi’a Muslim majority called on the masses to press ahead for their denied political and birthrights. Bahrain is in the grip of mass popular uprisings that have unnerved the regime which has resorted to torture and killing of innocent people, and the desecration and destruction of mosques and hussainiyyahs.

AS/SS