On this day in
1814, George Stephenson revolutionized railway engineering by introducing smooth, circular train wheels—replacing the earlier toothed designs that were slow and inefficient. This innovation dramatically improved traction and speed, proving its effectiveness in Stephenson’s early locomotive trials. His breakthrough laid the foundation for modern rail transport and has been adopted on railways across the globe ever since.
1830
King Charles X of France issued five ordinances aimed at curbing press freedoms, dissolving the Chambers, and altering the electoral system—measures that intensified political unrest and contributed to the July Revolution.
1879
Nationalist reformer and preacher Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al Kawakibi launched the first issue of his newspaper Eitidal (“Moderateness”), advocating for balanced discourse and political reform in the Arab world.
1898 / 1952
During the Spanish-American War, U.S. forces under Maj. Gen. Nelson Miles occupied Puerto Rico. Fifty-four years later, on this day in 1952, Puerto Rico became a self-governing commonwealth of the United States.
1917
Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, better known as Mata Hari, was sentenced to death for espionage. Accused of spying for Germany during World War I, she remains one of history’s most enigmatic figures.
1920
French forces occupied Damascus, marking a turning point in the post-Ottoman colonial reordering of the Middle East.
1924
Mustafa Lutfi Al Manfaluti, the pioneering Egyptian essayist and short-story writer, passed away. Educated at Al Azhar University, he bridged Islamic scholarship with Western literary influence, shaping modern Arab prose and nationalist thought.
1933
Exiled Soviet leader Leon Trotsky and his wife arrived in the French port of Le Havre, continuing their journey through political exile after being expelled from the USSR.
1982
Lebanese leader Bashir Al Jumayel declared his candidacy for the presidency amid the turbulence of the Lebanese Civil War.
2000
An Air France Concorde en route to New York crashed shortly after takeoff from Paris, killing all 113 people on board. The tragedy marked the first fatal Concorde accident and led to the suspension of supersonic passenger flights.
2001
Violence erupted in Macedonia as mobs attacked foreign embassies. Clashes between Macedonian forces and Albanian fighters escalated, with threats of occupation looming over the city of Tetovo.
2001
An Israeli court authorized the laying of a cornerstone for a Jewish temple in the heart of Arab Jerusalem, reigniting tensions over religious claims to the site believed by some to be the location of an ancient Jewish temple.
