July 1850: The Báb is executed in Tabriz, Persia

In 1850 Mirza Taqi Khan, Grand Vizier of the new Nasiri'd-Din Shah of Persia, ordered the Báb to be executed. On 9 July 1850 the Báb was brought before a firing squad in the barracks square of Tabriz, along with a young follower. When the smoke cleared, the crowd was amazed that the Báb was nowhere to be seen. He was located in the room He had occupied, finishing a conversation with His amanuensis. The commander of the Armenian regiment, Sam Khan, refused to fire a second time and another regiment had to be found. This time their bullets killed the Báb and His companion. 
(‘A Basic Baha’i Dictionary’, by Wendi Momen)

June 1920: Shoghi Effendi applied for admission to Oxford University

Consonant with his total dedication to the service of his grandfather, Shoghi Effendi's great aspiration had been to become a perfect English translator of the Baha'i writings. His letter of 11 June 1920, applying for admission to Oxford University, made this intention clear: "My sole aim," he wrote, "is to perfect my English, to acquire the literary ability to write it well, speak it well and translate correctly and eloquently from Persian and Arabic into English." 
(The Baha’i World 1996-1997)

June 1996: Four NSAs in America meet for the first time

On 29 and 30 June 1996 four National Spiritual Assemblies in the Americas-- Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname met together for the first time, in Paramaribo, Suriname, to discuss cooperative efforts and other subjects of mutual concern. 
(The Baha’i World 1996-1997)

May 1863: Baha’u’llah, accompanied by members of His family and twenty-six of His disciples, left the first stopping-place in the course of their journey to Constantinople.

The same tokens of devotion shown Bahá'u'lláh at the time of His departure from His House, and later from the Garden of Ridvan, were repeated when, on the 20th of Dhi'l-Qa'dih (May 9, 1863), accompanied by members of His family and twenty-six of His disciples, He left Firayjat, His first stopping-place in the course of that journey. A caravan, consisting of fifty mules, a mounted guard of ten soldiers with their officer, and seven pairs of howdahs, each pair surmounted by four parasols, was formed, and wended its way, by easy stages, and in the space of no less than a hundred and ten days, across the uplands, and through the defiles, the woods, valleys and pastures, comprising the picturesque scenery of eastern Anatolia, to the port of Samsun, on the Black Sea. At times on horseback, at times resting in the howdah reserved for His use, and which was oftentimes surrounded by His companions, most of whom were on foot, He, by virtue of the written order of Namiq Pasha, was accorded, as He traveled northward, in the path of spring, an enthusiastic reception by the valis, the mutisarrifs, the qa'im-maqams, the mudirs, the shaykhs, the muftis and qadis, the government officials and notables belonging to the districts through which He passed. In Karkuk, in Irbil, in Mosul, where He tarried three days, in Nisibin, in Mardin, in Diyar-Bakr, where a halt of a couple of days was made, in Kharput, in Sivas, as well as in other villages and hamlets, He would be met by a delegation immediately before His arrival, and would be accompanied, for some distance, by a similar delegation upon His departure. The festivities which, at some stations, were held in His honor, the food the villagers prepared and brought for His acceptance, the eagerness which time and again they exhibited in providing the means for His comfort, recalled the reverence which the people of Baghdad had shown Him on so many occasions. 
- Shoghi Effendi  ('God Passes By')

May 1863: Mounted on a red roan stallion of the finest breed Baha’u’llah leaves the Garden of Ridvan in Baghdad

The departure of Bahá'u'lláh from the Garden of Ridvan, at noon, on the 14th of Dhi'l-Qa'dih 1279 A.H. (May 3, 1863), witnessed scenes of tumultuous enthusiasm no less spectacular, and even more touching, than those which greeted Him when leaving His Most Great House in Baghdad. "The great tumult," wrote an eyewitness, "associated in our minds with the Day of Gathering, the Day of Judgment, we beheld on that occasion. Believers and unbelievers alike sobbed and lamented. The chiefs and notables who had congregated were struck with wonder. Emotions were stirred to such depths as no tongue can describe, nor could any observer escape their contagion."

First Day of Ridvan (April 21, 1863): Baha’u’llah reveals the Surih-i-Sabr

Suriy-i-Sabr (Surih of Patience) was “revealed on the first day of Ridvan” in the year 1863. It “extols Vahid and his fellow-sufferers in Nayriz …” (Adapted from ‘God Passes By’, by Shoghi Effendi). This Tablet also known as Lawh-i-Ayyub (Tablet of Job) is equal in length to almost one-quarter of the Kitáb-i-Íqán. It is in Arabic and was revealed in honour of Haji Muhammad-Taqi, a native of Nayriz, upon whom Bahá'u'lláh bestowed the title of Ayyub (Job). 
(Adapted from ‘The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 1’, by Adib Taherzadeh) A provisional translation of this Tablet is available at Baha’i Tablets –provisional Translations.

March-April 1847: Muhammad Shah sent a letter to the Báb and in courteous terms instructed Him to go to the fortress of Mah-ku

The ruthless and rapacious Gurgin Khan, the deputy governor, [of Isfahan] induced the Shah to issue a second summons ordering that the captive Youth[the Báb] be sent in disguise to Tihran, accompanied by a mounted escort. To this written mandate of the sovereign the vile Gurgin Khan, who had previously discovered and destroyed the will of his uncle, the Mu'tamid, and seized his property, unhesitatingly responded. At the distance of less than thirty miles from the capital, however, in the fortress of Kinar-Gird, a messenger delivered to Muhammad Big, who headed the escort, a written order from Haji Mirza Aqasi instructing him to proceed to Kulayn, and there await further instructions. This was, shortly after, followed by a letter which the Shah had himself addressed to the Báb, dated Rabi'u'th-thani 1263 (March 19-April 17, 1847), and which, though couched in courteous terms, clearly indicated the extent of the baneful influence exercised by the Grand Vizir on his sovereign. The plans so fondly cherished by Manuchihr Khan were now utterly undone. The fortress of Mah-Ku, not far from the village of that same name, whose inhabitants had long enjoyed the patronage of the Grand Vizir, situated in the remotest northwestern corner of Adhirbayjan, was the place of incarceration assigned by Muhammad Shah, on the advice of his perfidious minister, for the Báb. No more than one companion and one attendant from among His followers were allowed to keep Him company in those bleak and inhospitable surroundings. 
- Shoghi Effendi  (God Passes By)

March 1952: Ruhiyyih Khanum is appointed a Hand of the Cause

On 26 March, 1952, following the death of her father, Ruhiyyih Khanum was appointed, in his stead, a Hand of the Cause: "With sorrowful heart announce through national assemblies that Hand of Cause of Baha'u'llah, highly esteemed, dearly beloved Sutherland Maxwell, has been gathered into the glory of the Abha Kingdom. . . . The mantle of Hand of Cause now falls upon the shoulders of his distinguished daughter, 'Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih-Kha num, who has already rendered and is still rendering manifold no less meritorious self-sacrificing services at World Center of Faith of Baha'u'llah." (Shoghi Effendi, message dated 26 March 1952; ‘Citadel of Faith’) 

March 1909: Baha’i Temple Unity is formed in Chicago, Illinois

In March 1909, a convention representative of various Bahá'í centers was called, in pursuance of instructions received from 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The thirty-nine delegates, representing thirty-six cities, who had assembled in Chicago, on the very day the remains of the Báb were laid to rest by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the specially erected mausoleum on Mt. Carmel, established a permanent national organization, known as the Bahá'í Temple Unity, which was incorporated as a religious corporation, functioning under the laws of the State of Illinois, and invested with full authority to hold title to the property of the Temple and to provide ways and means for its construction. At this same convention a constitution was framed, the Executive Board of the Bahá'í Temple Unity was elected, and was authorized by the delegates to complete the purchase of the land recommended by the previous Convention. Contributions for this historic enterprise, from India, Persia, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Russia, Egypt, Germany, France, England, Canada, Mexico, the Hawaiian Islands, and even Mauritius, and from no less than sixty American cities, amounted by 1910, two years previous to 'Abdu'l-Bahá's arrival in America, to no less than twenty thousand dollars, a remarkable testimony alike to the solidarity of the followers of Bahá'u'lláh in both the East and the West, and to the self-sacrificing efforts exerted by the American believers who, as the work progressed, assumed a preponderating share in providing the sum of over a million dollars required for the erection of the structure of the Temple and its external ornamentation. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 261)

March-April 1916: The first eight Tablets of the Divine Plan were revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Baha

The first eight Tablets were revealed between 26 March and 22 April 1916, and the final six between 2 February and 8 March 1917. Of the first group, five Tablets reached America and were published in the 8 September 1916 issue of Star of the West. After that, communication with the Holy Land was cut off and the rest of the Tablets remained in the vault under the Shrine of the Báb until the end of the war. They were dispatched to America and unveiled in a ceremony during the 'Convention of the Covenant' held at the Hotel McAlpin in New York in April 1919. (Wendi Momen, A Basic Baha’i Dictionary)

February 1923: Keys to the Shrine of Baha’u’llah were returned to Shoghi Effendi by the British High Commissioner in Palestine

Shortly after 'Abdu'l-Bahá's ascension, this disgruntled and perfidious half-brother [Muhammad-Ali] had filed a claim, based on Islamic law (he who pretended he had still a right to be the successor of Bahá'u'lláh!), for a portion of the estate of 'Abdu'l-Bahá which he now claimed a right to as His brother. He had sent for his son, who had been living in America and agitating his father's claims there, to join him in this new and direct attack on the Master and His family. Not content with this exhibition of his true nature he applied to the civil authorities to turn over the custodianship of Bahá'u'lláh's Shrine to him on the grounds that he was 'Abdu'l-Bahá's lawful successor. The British authorities refused on the grounds that it appeared to be a religious issue; he then appealed to the Muslim religious head and asked the Mufti of 'Akká to take formal charge of Bahá'u'lláh's Shrine; this dignitary, however, said he did not see how he could do this as the Bahá'í teachings were not in conformity with Shariah law. All other avenues having failed he sent his younger brother, Badiullah, with some of their supporters, to visit the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh where, on Tuesday, 30 January, they forcibly seized the keys of the Holy Tomb from the Bahá'í caretaker, thus asserting Muhammad-Ali's right to be the lawful custodian of his Father's resting-place. This unprincipled act created such a commotion in the Bahá'í Community that the Governor of 'Akká ordered the keys to be handed over to the authorities, posted guards at the Shrine, but went no further, refusing to return the keys to either party.

February 1862: The birth of the Orientalist Edward Granville Browne

Edward Granville Browne was born on 7 February 1862 in Uley, Gloucestershire, Britain. Although he initially studied engineering and later medicine, it was his love of the Orient and oriental languages that determined his choice of profession and was to bring him fame as one of Europe's most renowned orientalists. His interest in Turkey was aroused very early through the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-78. He learned Turkish while still studying medicine and later learned Persian and Arabic as well. A two-month sojourn in Istanbul in 1882 intensified his interest in the Orient still further.

Around the year 1884, as he later reported, he became acquainted with the religion of the Báb through reading Gobineau' s Les Religions et les Philosophies dans l 'Asie Centrale. Gobineau's book, or rather those parts that dealt with the Bábi Faith, impressed Browne so much that he later described it as a 'masterpiece of historical composition'. He continued: 'I had long ardently desired to visit Persia and above all Shiraz, and this desire was now greatly intensified. But whereas I had previously wished to see Shiraz because it was the home of Hafiz and Sa’di, I now wished to see it because it was the birthplace of Mirza 'Ali Muhammad the Báb.' (Udo Schaefer, ‘Making the Crooked Straight’)

January 1971: Baha’i continental conference is held in Liberia – The Universal House of Justice explains the role of the emerging Baha’i community in alleviating the various ills afflicting the people of Africa

January 1971

To the Friends of God assembled in the Conference in Monrovia, Liberia

Dearly loved friends,

The emergence on the African Continent of a widely spread, numerous, diversified and united Baha'i community, so swiftly after the initiation of organized teaching plans there, is of the utmost significance and a signal evidence of the bounties which God has destined for its peoples in this day.

The great victories in Africa, which brought such joy to the Guardian's heart in the last years of his life, resulted from the self-sacrificing devotion of a handful of pioneers, gradually assisted by the first few native believers, all labouring under the loving shadow of the Hand of the Cause Musa Banani. From their efforts there has been raised up an increasing army of African, teachers, administrators, pioneers and valiant promoters of the Divine Cause, whose main task is to bring to all Africa the bounties conferred by the Word of God, bounties of enlightenment, zeal, devotion and eventually the true civilization of Baha'u'llah's World Order.

January 1922: The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha is publically read at His home in Haifa

Forty days after the Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha, on 7 January 1922, His Will and Testament was publicly read at His home in Haifa. Emogene Hoagg related to Mrs. De Mille that at least a hundred Baha'i men from various countries attended this unforgettable event. Five or six American and English women, including Emogene, sat among them in the central hall. The oriental women, she recalls, sat in a side room 'out of sight, but near enough to hear'. (De Mille, 'Emogene Hoagg', Baha'i News, October 1973) As 'Abdu'lBaha's secretary read the Will, many people wept. Its impact was tremendous. The Master had placed emphasis on the untold suffering caused by the Covenant-breakers.

'All present accepted the terms of the Will appointing Shoghi Effendi Guardian. There seemed to be no dissenting voice.' (De Mille, 'Emogene Hoagg', Baha'i News, October 1973) (O.Z. Whitehead, ‘Portraits of some Baha’i Women’)

December 1848: Baha’u’llah sets out to visit the Bábis at Shaykh Tabarsi

In December 1848, to fulfill His promise to visit Shaykh Tabarsi for a second time, Baha'u'llah set out with a number of the Bábis intending to visit the besieged fortress. Those who went with Him included

·        Haji Mirza Janiy-i-Kashani,[The merchant who had acted as host to the Báb in Kashan, and the first chronicler of His Faith, who was martyred in August 1852.]

·        Mulla Baqir-i-Tabrizi (one of the Bab's Letters of the Living),

·        Shaykh Abu-Turab-i-Ishtahardi,

·        Aqa Siyyid Hasan-i-Khu'i,

·        Aqa Siyyid Husayn-i-Turshizi (one of the Seven Martyrs of Tihran),

·        'Abdu'l-Vahhab Big,

·        Muhammad-Taqi Khan-i-Nuri and

·        Mirza Yahya, Subh-i-Azal.

But Baha'u'llah did not succeed in fulfilling His intention, for He and His companions were arrested and detained when they reached a village some nine miles from Shaykh Tabarsi. (Balyuzi, Baha’u’llah King of Glory, p.56)

November 1901: The first commemoration of a Baha’i Holy Day in North America

On 26 November 1901 the House and the Women's Assembly of Teaching [of Chicago] sponsored a celebration of 'the Master's Day'. Today this is known as the Day of the Covenant. It was the first definite commemoration in the United States of a Baha’i Holy Day. 'Abdu'l-Baha had asked the Baha'is to hold a commemoration of the Baha'i covenant rather than a celebration of His birthday because He had been born on the same day that the Báb had declared His mission and that day should be devoted to the Báb's anniversary. On 26 November the Chicago House of Justice sent telegrams of greeting to other Baha'i communities but since it had not informed them of the Holy Day ahead of time, no observances are known to have occurred elsewhere. Chicago's festivities represented a harmonious blend of Baha'i and Protestant practices. In the Minutes of the Chicago House of Justice, dated 1 December 1901 we read:

November 1817: The Birth of Baha'u'llah

Mirza Husayn Ali, Who afterwards assumed the title of Bahá'u'lláh (i.e. Glory of God), was the eldest son of Mirza Abbas of Nur, a Vazir or Minister of State. His family was wealthy and distinguished, many of its members having occupied important positions in the Government and in the Civil and Military Services of Persia. He was born in Tihran (Teheran), the capital city of Persia, between dawn and sunrise on the 12th of November, 1817 (2nd of Muharram, 1233 A.H.) He never attended school or college, and what little teaching He received was given at home. Nevertheless, even as a child He showed wonderful wisdom and knowledge. While He was still a youth His father died, leaving Him responsible for the care of His younger brothers and sisters, and for the management of the extensive family estates.

On one occasion 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, related to the writer the following particulars about His Father's early days:  --

November 1957: The passing of Shoghi Effendi

Before the time came to return to Haifa in November Shoghi Effendi went to London to purchase a few more things for the furnishing of the now completed Archives building and in anticipation of transferring after his arrival all the precious historical materials he had exhibited and stored in the six rooms in which they had previously been housed. While we were there the great epidemic of Asiatic influenza was sweeping Europe and we both fell ill with it. We had an excellent physician, whom the Guardian liked and trusted, and the attack was not a particularly severe one, though he did have quite a high fever for a few days. The doctor insisted that Shoghi Effendi should not arrange to leave London until he had been without any abnormal temperature for a week and to this he consented. In spite of his fever he read a great deal in bed and attended to his mail and cables. His illness at no time incapacitated him in any way, though it left him weak and with almost no appetite.

November 1866: An extraordinary event took place in the sky

The spectacular shower of meteors in the early hours of the morning of 14 November 1866 was observed all over Europe. It was an extraordinary event exciting comment from professional astronomers and laymen alike. The following sample account is from The Times Saturday, 17 November 1866:

The Rev. Robert Main, the Radcliffe Observer at Oxford, gives the following account of the meteorological phenomenon of Tuesday night last:  --

'...This great display began about 13h. (or 1 o'clock in the morning), and reached its maximum at about 13h.24m., after which time it gradually began to slacken. The watch, however, was kept up till 18h., though after 15h., there were not many meteors seen. In all there were observed not fewer than 3,000 during the night, of which about 2,000 fell between 13h. and 14h., or between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. As to the general appearance of the meteors, it was noticed that the majority of them were of a whitish or yellowish colour. Some, however, were reddish or orange-coloured, and one meteor was noticed to be bluish. The brightest left generally a train behind them, which was to be seen for a few seconds after the meteor disappeared.' (Adapted from ‘The Revelation of Baha’u’llah', by Adib Taherzadeh, vol. 2, p. 422)