Bahaipedia:Today in History/All
Today's anniversaries[edit]
- 1844: The Báb arrives in Mecca and performs the rites of pilgrimage in company with 100,000 other pilgrims.
- 1863: Bahá’u’lláh and His companions arrive in Adrianople (Bahá’u’lláh's house pictured), marking the furthest point from Persia that Bahá’u’lláh would ever reach.
- 1939: The Bahá’ís of Caracas, Venezuela, hold their first Nineteen Day Feast and afterwards elect a ‘Provisional Assembly’.
- 1947: Valeria Lamb Nicols, the first Bahá'í pioneer to Portugal, arrives from a pioneer post in Denmark.
- 2000: The 4th Annual Conference of the International Environment Forum (IEF) is held in Orlando, Florida.
Selected anniversaries for January[edit]
- 1912: ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá, prominent Bahá’í, Hand of the Cause and trustee of Huqúqu'lláh is born
- 1962: Amelia Collins, prominent Bahá’í and Hand of the Cause passes away in Haifa, Israel
- 1971: Death of Hand of the Cause of God, Agnes Alexander
- 1986: On the closing day of the Counsellors' Conference, the Universal House of Justice announces certain features of the Six Year Plan and the methods by which national goals were to be worked out in consultation between the Counsellors and National Spiritual Assemblies.
- 2018: A court in Sana’a, Yemen issued an unprecedented ruling sentencing Yemeni Baha’i Hamed bin Haydara to death due to his religious beliefs, and calling for the dissolution of all Baha’i Spiritual Assemblies in the country.
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- 1914: David Ruhe, member of the Universal House of Justice, is born.
- 1922: The first, private reading of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in which the Master established the institution of the Guardianship and appointed Shoghi Effendi (pictured) to that position.
- 2008: Two among a series of 41 regional conferences of the Five Year Plan take place in London and Abidjan.
- 1913: Malietoa Tanumafili II, the first reigning Bahá'í monarch, is born.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives a talk at Elizabeth Herrick's home in London.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá travels from London to Edinburgh by train, leaving London in the morning and arriving at Edinburgh's Waverly Station in the afternoon. He stays at the home of Elizabeth Whyte in Edinburgh.
- 1932: Catherine Huxtable, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to the Gulf Islands, is born.
- 1993: Bahá’í jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie passes away.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá delivers a talk to the Esperanto Society in Edinburgh, his first speech in Scotland. He also visits Outlook Tower, an educational institution.
- 1989: A week-long teaching project is launched in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, resulting in 43 enrolments and the re-formation of two Local Spiritual Assemblies.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is given a tour of the Edinburgh College of Arts, and a tour of North Canongate School. He also delivers a talk and attends a performance of Handel's Messiah.
- 1924: Universal House of Justice member Hushmand Fatheazam is born.
- 1914: Birth of John Ferraby, Hand of the Cause, and Custodian of the Bahá’í Faith
- 1951: Formation of the International Bahá’í Council by Shoghi Effendi
- 2001: The Universal House of Justice addresses a message to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, providing details of the upcoming Five Year Plan for 2001–2006.
- 1913: `Abdu'l-Bahá returns to London.
- 1976: The most northerly-located Local Spiritual Assembly in the world is formed in the Ińupiat community of Barrow, Alaska.
- 2008: Two among a series of 41 regional conferences of the Five Year Plan take place in Toronto and Guadalajara.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives a talk at Caxton Hall in Westminster.
- 1853: Bahá’u’lláh and His family begin their journey to Baghdad following His exile from Tehran.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá attends a dinner and delivers a talk at the home of Richard Shapely in London.
- 2010: After 20 months of unlawful detention in Iran's Evin Prison, the Baha'i 7 (pictured) are summoned to court and charged with fabricated offenses, including espionage, "propaganda against the state," and "spreading corruption on earth."
- 1845: The trial of Mullá `Alíy-i-Bastámí takes place in Baghdád. A fatwá is issued against him and the Báb, condemning the Báb, who is unnamed in the fatwá, to death as an unbeliever.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá delivers a talk at the Cadogan Gardens.
- 1927: A World Unity Conference is held in Dayton, Ohio, one of many such conferences to be held in the year in major cities of the United States.
- 1943: Universal House of Justice member Kiser Barnes is born.
- 1870: May Ellis Bolles, later known as May Maxwell, is born in Englewood, New Jersey.
- 1961: Dedication of the Mother Temple of Africa, Kampala, Uganda.
- 1975: The House of 'Abdu'lláh Páshá in ‘Akká (pictured) is purchased.
- 1850: Mullá Ádí-Guzal completes his pilgrimage to the graves of Mullá Husayn and Quddús on behalf of the Báb.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá travels to Bristol and stays the night at the Clifton Guest House, owned by Wellesley Tudor Pole.
- 2011: Participants from 18 nations mark the Golden Jubilee of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Kampala, Uganda with a program of prayers and choral singing inside the House of Worship.
- 1845: The Báb arrives in Medina from Mecca. During the journey to Medina, He reveals The Epistle between Two Shrines.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns from Bristol to London and delivers a talk at the Cadogan Gardens.
- 2015: Following more than a year of imprisonment, Yemeni Bahá’í Hamed bin Haydara is indicted under baseless charges of spying for Israel and converting Muslims to the Bahá’í Faith.
- 1908: Ruth Katharine Meyer, a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to Margarita Island, is born.
- 2008: Three of the 41 regional conferences of the Five Year Plan take place in Lae, Papua New Guinea; Vancouver, Canada; and Managua, Nicaragua.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá meets with members of the British Muslim community and speaks at Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking, the first Mosque built in England.
- 2014: The Egyptian Constitution of 2014 takes effect after it is passed in a national referendum. While guaranteeing the ‘inviolable’ right of freedom of religion to certain religious communities, these freedoms are not extended to Bahá’is.
- 2019: Marking the 100th anniversary of the commencement of the Paris Peace Conference, the Universal House of Justice releases a message regarding world peace.
- 1973: The publication of the Synopsis and Codification of the Laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas is announced by the Universal House of Justice.
- 2000: Rúhíyyih Khánum passes away, representing the last remnant of the family of Bahá’u’lláh who remained loyal to Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá attends a reception at the home of Dr. Felix Mosscheles, and a dinner held by a Rajput Prince. He delivers his last talk in London at the Higher Thought Centre.
- 1922: Roy Fernie, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to the Gilbert and Ellis Islands, is born.
- 2010: Lawyers of the seven Bahá’í leaders imprisoned in Iran are notified that the next session of their trial will be held on February 7.
- 2015: An updated version of the official website of the worldwide Bahá’í community, bahai.org, is launched.
- 1923 - Birth of Brigitte Lundblade, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to the Shetland Islands
- 1844: Mullá Husayn returns to Karbalá after a journey of two years in Persia.
- 1872: A group of seven Bahá'ís, acting against Bahá'u'lláh's command, murder three Azalís, including Siyyid Muhammad-i-Isfahání, the "Antichrist of the Bahá'í Revelation". A backlash against the Bahá'í community in ‘Akká ensues.
- 1934: Shoghi Effendi gives Queen Marie of Romania the gift of a Tablet in the handwriting of Bahá’u’lláh.
- 1934: Agnes Parsons dies after an automobile accident. She is primarily remembered for her contribution to the cause of race unity in North America.
- 1958: The first Intercontinental Conference held at the mid-point of the Ten Year Crusade convenes in Kampala, Uganda.
- 1985: The Universal House of Justice outlines its plans for the International Year of Peace to National Spiritual Assemblies.
- 1990: The first All-Union Bahá'í Conference takes place in Moscow, the first national Bahá'í conference held in the USSR in about 60 years.
- 2008: Three among a series of 41 regional conferences of the Five Year Plan take place in Ulaanbataar, Sydney, and Madrid.
- 1926: British Orientalist Edward G. Browne, the only Western scholar to meet Bahá'u'lláh, passes away.
- 1954: Australian Stanley P. Bolton becomes the first Bahá’í to arrive in Tonga.
- 2018: A new educational facility is established on the grounds of the Lotus Temple, the Bahá'í House of Worship in New Delhi, India.
- 2019: The board of directors of the Baha’i International Development Organization holds its first meeting.
- 1987: Death of Universal House of Justice member Charles Wolcott.
- 2000: Death of Adib Taherzadeh, prominent Bahá’í, author and member of the Universal House of Justice.
- 1849: A third army arrives as reinforcements for the seige underway at the Fort of Shaykh Tabarsi.
- 1977: An International Teaching Conference is held in Bahia, Brazil. 1,300 people are in attendance, making it the largest such gathering of Bahá’ís to date in Brazil.
- 1979: Construction begins for the first Bahá’í House of Worship of the Pacific Islands in Western Samoa. The King of Samoa, Malietoa Tanumafili II, and Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum lay the cornerstone together.
- 2017: Fred Schechter, Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for French Somaliland and Counsellor member of the International Teaching Centre, passes away.
- 1913: Prominent Ottomans Ahmad Páshá and Munír Páshá call on 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Paris.
- 1924: Disciple of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Isabella Brittingham passes away in Philadelphia.
- 1926: Martha Root sends a note and a copy of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era to Queen Marie of Romania.
- 1955: Schoolteacher Dorothy Senne becomes a Bahá'í in Johannesburg, the first South African woman to do so.
- 1984: The Association of Bahá’í Studies of Francophone Europe holds its first informational meeting at the Hotel de la Paix in Geneva, where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed in 1911.
- 1993: The first Latin American Bahá'í Social and Economic Development Seminar takes place in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
- 1926: Martha Root holds her first interview with Queen Marie of Romania.
- 1994: The first worldwide fireside on the Internet, ‘Pioneering in Cyberspace the Bahá'í Faith and the Internet', is held.
- 1867: Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alí, a Bahá'í physician, is executed in Zanján; Áqá Najaf-‘Alíy-i-Zanjání, a disciple of Hujjat, is executed in Tihrán.
- 1899: The Báb's remains arrive in the Holy Land.
- 1983: The Universal House of Justice takes up its permanent seat.
- 2008: Two among a series of 41 regional conferences of the Five Year Plan take place in Auckland and Battambang.
Today in Bahá’í History
Selected anniversaries of events in Bahá’í history.
January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Bahá - Jalál - Jamál - ‘Aẓamat - Núr - Raḥmat - Kalimát - Kamál - Asmá’ - ‘Izzat - Mashíyyat - ‘Ilm - Qudrat - Qawl - Masá’il - Sharaf - Sulṭán - Mulk - Ayyám-i-Há - ‘Alá’
Today in History editing guidelines - Purge cache
It is now 04:08 on Friday, December 12, 2025 (UTC)
Selected anniversaries for February[edit]
- 1926: Martha Root arrives in Bulgaria, the earliest documented visit to that country by a Bahá’í. She stays 12 days.
- 1959: The ‘first Dependency of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in Wilmette’, the Bahá’í Home for the Aged, opens.
- 1992: The Local Spiritual Assembly of Zanzibar Island is formed, the first administrative body on the island since the revolution of 1964.
- 2012: The publication of Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh in Korean is announced.
- 1849: Mullá Ḥusayn dies in battle at the fort of Shaykh Tabarsí.
- 1950: Dr Sulaymán Birgís is martyred in Káshán, Iran.
- 1957: Enoch Olinga arrives in the Holy Land, the first black African Bahá’í to go on pilgrimage.
- 1964: Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum and her companion Violette Nakhjavání leave Haifa at the start of their 55,000 mile, 9-month journey through India, Ceylon, Nepal and Sikkim.
- 1992: The Association of Bahá'í Publishers and Distributors is established at a Bahá'í Publishers' Conference in Oakham, England, with its headquarters in the Netherlands.
- 2009: The publication of We are Ashamed, an open letter from a group of academics, writers, artists, journalists and Iranian activists throughout the world to the Bahá'í community.
- 1912: Two Bahá'ís are killed in Máhfurúzak, Mázandarán.
- 1955: Bahá’í women in Hisár, Khurásán, Iran, are assaulted.
- 1977: An International Teaching Conference is held in Mérida, Mexico, attended by more than 2,000 Bahá’ís.
- 1975: A strip of land facing the resting place of Shoghi Effendi is bought by the Universal House of Justice to ensure protection of the site.
- 1913: ‘Abdu'l-Bahá visits Versailles.
- 1933: By this date there are about 50 Bahá’ís under arrest in Adana, Turkey.
- 1987: Maori women hold the first National Women’s Hui in the tribal area of Ngati Tuwaretoa, New Zealand.
- 2019: The Call of the Divine Beloved, a collection of Bahá’u’lláh's mystical works, is published.
- 1862: Edward G. Browne, one of the few Westerners to meet Bahá’u’lláh, is born in England.
- 1974: The construction of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice is initiated with the acceptance of the design conceived by architect Husayn Amánat.
- 2003: The dedication of the Louis G. Gregory Museum in his birthplace, Charleston, South Carolina.
- 2004: Mr. Bihnam Mithaqi and Mr. Kayvan Khalajabadi, who had been imprisoned in Iran since April 29, 1989 for "association with Baha'i institutions," are released.
- 2009: Two among a series of 41 regional conferences of the Five Year Plan take place in Frankfurt and Padua.
- 2013: The Universal House of Justice announces a series of 95 youth conferences to be held throughout the world from July to October 2013.
- 1898: Hájí Muhammad-i-Turk is shot, beaten and then burned to death in a main street in Mashhad by four religious students.
- 1940: The monuments of Navváb and Mírzá Mihdí are dedicated at a ceremony in Haifa.
- 1996: The first National Bahá'í Winter School of Belarus is held near Minsk.
- 1954: John Leonard arrives in the Falkland Islands and is named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh.
- 1929: William H. Randall, Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, dies.
- 2004: British Baha'i Lois Hainsworth receives the award of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to the Women's National Commission, the Baha'i Office for the Advancement of Women, and UNIFEM UK.
- 1845: The Báb leaves Medina for Jiddah.
- 1953: The first Intercontinental Teaching Conference is convened by the British National Spiritual Assembly in Kampala, Uganda. With this conference the Ten Year Crusade is launched.
- 1980: Hand of the Cause of God and well celebrated author Hasan Balyuzi dies in London.
- 2011: Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet are transferred to the notorious Section 200 of Gohardasht prison. The rest of the Bahá'í 7, all male, are still held under close scrutiny in a separate wing of the prison reserved for political prisoners.
- 2015: The official opening of the new location of the Afnan Library Trust at Sandy, near Cambridge, in the United Kingdom.
- 1942: Ustád Habíbu’lláh Mu‘ammarí is martyred in Nayríz, Iran.
- 1971: A months-long ban on Bahá’í activities in the Central African Republic is lifted, and the Bahá’í Faith is officially recognized.
- 1850: Fourteen Bábís are arrested as a result of the actions of an informer.
- 1876: Hand of the Cause Keith Ransom-Kehler, the first American Bahá'í martyr, is born in Kentucky.
- 1910: Ola Pawlowska, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to Saint Pierre and Miquelon, is born.
- 2008: The Bahá'í International Community issues a statement entitled Eradicating Poverty: Moving Forward as One.
- 2009: One of a series of 41 regional conferences of the Five Year Plan takes place in Istanbul, Turkey.
- 1891: The first public lecture in the West on the Bahá'í Faith is given by E. G. Browne at the Southplace Institute, London.
- 1896: Leroy Ioas, Hand of the Cause of God, is born in Wilmington, Illinois.
- 1954: Charles Duncan and Harry Clark, both Americans, arrive in Brunei and are named Knights of Bahá’u’lláh.
- 1979: The National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds of Iran is seized by the Revolutionary Guards. All the records of the National Spiritual Assembly, including a membership list of all the Bahá’ís in Iran, are confiscated by the government.
- 1899: Hermann Grossmann, Hand of the Cause of God, is born in Rosario de Santa Fé, Argentina.
- 1993: A stamp featuring the Seat of the Universal House of Justice is issued by the Philatelic Service of the Israel Postal Authority.
- 1941: Death of Hyde Dunn, appointed posthumously as a Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi.
- 1954: Indian Bahá'í Shirin Fozdar went to Saigon to establish the religion in Indochina.
- 1967: Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of Philippines.
- 1850: Seven Bábís are executed in Tihrán on the false charge of having plotted to kill the Grand Vizier. They become known as the Seven Martyrs of Tihrán.
- 1878: German-Russian Bahá'í George Adam Benke is born in Ukraine. After his death, he is named by Shoghi Effendi as the first European Bahá'í martyr.
- 1968: Malietoa Tanumafili II, King of Western Samoa, embraces the Bahá'í Faith, becoming the first reigning monarch to do so.
- 1993: The first Bahá'í Winter School of Slovenia and Croatia takes place in Mozirje, Slovenia, attended by 20 adults and seven children.
- 1993: The first National Youth Conference of Hungary is held in Debrecen, attended by 60 youth.
- 2012: The passing of Anneliese Bopp, former Counsellor member of the International Teaching Centre, in Germany.
- 1852: Birth of Isabella Brittingham, prominent American Bahá'í teacher, is born in New York City.
- 1954: Charles (‘Chuck’) and Mary Dayton settle in Charlotte Amalie, on St. Thomas, and are named Knights of Bahá’u’lláh for the Leeward Islands.
- 1961: The first Indian congress of Bolivia is held in Oruro, with Indians participating; Corinne True, Hand of the Cause of God, dies in Chicago.
- 1990: Jalál Kháḍih, Hand of the Cause of God, dies in Toronto.
- 2009: Two among a series of 41 regional conferences of the Five Year Plan take place, in Baku and Accra.
- 1847: Birth of Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Hand of the Cause Thornton Chase.
- 2019: New educational facilities at the Eric Manton Bahá'í Institute are dedicated in Mwinilunga, Zambia.
- 1902: The first recorded Bahá’í teaching conference in North America takes place in Chicago.
- 1897: Hand of the Cause Jalal Khazeh is born.
- 1929: Universal House of Justice member Douglas Martin is born.
- 2012: The International Symposium on Religion, Spirituality, and Education for Human Flourishing is held in Marrakech, Morocco, with a Bahá’í delegation in attendance.
- 1890: The Sháh of Iran provides the Bahá'ís of Sidih a decree promising their protection; instead, they are murdered when they return to the city.
- 1889: Edward G. Browne mentions the Bahá’í Faith as part of a series of academic talks and papers in England.
- 1991: The Iranian government issues a confidential memorandum on the "Bahá’í question", specifically calling for Iran’s Bahá’ís to be treated in such a way “that their progress and development are blocked,” providing conclusive evidence that the campaign against the Bahá’ís is centrally directed.
- 1979: In a message to all National Spiritual Assemblies, the Universal House of Justice offers an official refutation of a number of false accusations against Iranian Bahá’ís.
- 1845: The Báb boards a ship and departs Jiddah. He sails to Muscat and stays there for two months.
- 2015: The Education is Not a Crime campaign marks its worldwide Day of Action in support of Bahá'í students in Iran.
- 2008: The last of a series of 41 regional conferences of the Five Year Plan takes place in Kiev, Ukraine.
- 1952: Shoghi Effendi appoints a second contingent of six Hands of the Cause of God: Clara Dunn, Adelbert Mühlschlegel, Shu'á'u'lláh 'Alá'í, Dhikru'lláh Khádim, Corinne True, and Siegfried Schopflocher.
Today in Bahá’í History
Selected anniversaries of events in Bahá’í history.
January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Bahá - Jalál - Jamál - ‘Aẓamat - Núr - Raḥmat - Kalimát - Kamál - Asmá’ - ‘Izzat - Mashíyyat - ‘Ilm - Qudrat - Qawl - Masá’il - Sharaf - Sulṭán - Mulk - Ayyám-i-Há - ‘Alá’
Today in History editing guidelines - Purge cache
It is now 04:08 on Friday, December 12, 2025 (UTC)
Selected anniversaries for March[edit]
- 1897: Shoghi Effendi, the great-grandson of Bahá’u’lláh, is born in the House of 'Abdu'lláh Páshá in 'Akká.
- 2017: The Universal House of Justice writes to the Bahá'ís of the world about the economic life of society.
- 2019: The Ngungu Center for Community Agriculture opens in Kabwe, Zambia, sponsored by the Bahá’í-inspired Inshindo Foundation.
Bahaipedia:Today in History/March 2 view - talk - edit
- 1935: Birth of Universal House of Justice member Glenford E. Mitchell.
- 1845: The Báb sets sail for Búshihr but stops in Muscat for two months.
- 1876: ‘Azíz’u’lláh Mesbah, headmaster of the Tarbíyat School, is born.
- 1910: Hand of the Cause Hají Ákhúnd passes away.
- 1929: The Council of the League of Nations upholds the claim of the Bahá’í community to the House of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad.
- 1954: The first Bahá'í pioneers arrive in Kiribati, settling on the island of Abaiang (aka Charlotte Island, of the Gilbert Islands).
- 1855: Birth of Hyde Dunn, appointed posthumously as a Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi
- 2008: Mahvash Sabet, a member of the Baha'i 7, is summoned to Mashhad and arrested.
Bahaipedia:Today in History/March 6 view - talk - edit
Bahaipedia:Today in History/March 7 view - talk - edit
- 1873: Marriage of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Munírih Khánum.
- 1900: At a meeting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Ibrahim Kheiralla announces that he no longer accepts ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as leader of the Bahá’í Faith.
- 1917: 'Abdu'l-Bahá reveals the last of the Tablets of the Divine Plan, addressed to the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada.
Bahaipedia:Today in History/March 9 view - talk - edit
- 1866: Bahá'u'lláh moves from the house of Amru'lláh in Adrianople, which was shared with Mírzá Yahyá, to the house of Ridá Big. This is now known as the 'Most Great Separation'.
- 2014: The first grandchild of Behrouz Tavakkoli, one of the seven Bahá'í leaders imprisoned in Iran, is born in Canada.
- March 11: The Bahá'í International Community presents a statement at the 63rd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York City.
Bahaipedia:Today in History/March 12 view - talk - edit
Bahaipedia:Today in History/March 13 view - talk - edit
- 1914: Richard Nolen, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to Azores, is born.
- 1938: Mary Thornburgh-Cropper, first Bahá’í in England, dies.
- 1973: The house at Mazra'ih, where Bahá’u’lláh lived for two years, is purchased.
- 1900: A ten member Bahá'í Board of Council is established in Chicago.
- 1906: Borrah Kavelin, member of the Universal House of Justice, is born.
- 2009: The Egyptian Supreme Administrative Court rejects an appeal challenging the right of Bahá’ís in Egypt to be explicitly identified on official documents.
- 2011: The seven Bahá’í leaders imprisoned in Iran are told their original 20-year jail terms have been reinstated.
- 2019: The Bahá'í World News Service is made available in French and Spanish.
- 1992: Iranian Bahá’í Bahman Samandari is executed after having been arrested and held without charge; government officials claim he was a Zionist spy.
- 1856: At the request of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’u’lláh returns to Baghdad after His period of seclusion in the Sulaymaniyyih mountains of Kurdistan.
- 1856: Louis Bourgeois, architect and designer of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, is born in Saint-Célestin-de-Nicolet, Quebec.
- 1965: Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of Korea.
- 1848: Mullá Ḥusayn visits the Báb at the fortress of Máh-Kú.
- 1909: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá inters the remains of the Báb on the spot chosen by Bahá’u’lláh years earlier.
- 1909: The mortal remains of the Báb are laid to rest in the Shrine of the Báb after 59 years in hiding.
- 1909: Opening of the first American Bahá’í Convention
- 1993: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas is released in English with commentary.
Bahaipedia:Today in History/March 22 view - talk - edit
- 2019: Ground is broken for the construction of the first local Baha’i House of Worship in Africa, in Matunda Soy, Kenya.
- 1937: Shoghi Effendi marries Mary Maxwell, entitled Rúhíyyih Khánum. The wedding was a symbol of the uniting of the East and West.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá boards the RMS Cedric in Alexandria, heading for the United States.
- 1952: Death of well-known Canadian architect and Hand of the Cause William Maxwell.
- 1957: Death of Hand of the Cause George Townshend.
- 1992: Death of Hand of the Cause and prominent American Bahá’í William Sears.
- 1998: Death of Universal House of Justice member Hugh Chance.
- 1916: 'Abdu'l-Bahá reveals the first of the Tablets of the Divine Plan, addressed to the Bahá'ís of the Northeast United States.
- 2016: The Universal House of Justice addresses a message to the Bahá'ís of the World to commemorate the centenary of the first of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets of the Divine Plan.
- 1849: Royal troops build fortifications around the Fort of Shaykh Tabarsi and begin bombarding it.
- 1863: The Tablet of the Holy Mariner is publicly read to the Bábís in Baghdad on the fifth day of Naw-Rúz.
- 1864: A. L. M. Nicolas, European scholar who wrote about the Báb, is born.
- 1885: Knight of Bahá’u’lláh Charles Dunning is born.
- 1987: The National Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa officially changes its name to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of South Africa.
- 1847: The Báb, on His way to Tehran at the Sháh's request, is diverted instead to Kulayn at the orders of Hájí Mírzá Áqásí.
- 1911: William Sears, Hand of the Cause and prominent American Bahá’í, is born.
- 1912: The RMS Cedric arrives in Naples with ‘Abdu'l-Bahá and his retinue on board, on their way to New York City.
- 1829: Nabíl-i-Akbar (pictured), Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh, is born near Bírjand, Persia.
- 1849: The Battle of Fort Ṭabarsí is mentioned in the Journal de Constantinople; it is among the first direct mentions of the Báb in the contemporary press.
- 1888: Edward Granville Browne gives a talk on 'Bábism' at the Essay Society in Newcastle, England.
- 1942: Louise and Joseph Sawyer host a reception for Ruth Moffett and Esther Sego, the first racially integrated meeting among the Bahá'ís of North Carolina.
- 2006: Death of Ruth Katharine Meyer, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh, named for pioneering to Margarita Island.
- 1848: Mullá Ḥusayn travels to Mázindarán on the instructions of the Báb, visiting Khuy, Urúmíyyih, Marághih, Mílán, Tabríz, Zanján, Qazvín and Tihrán on the way.
- 1903: A Tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is received by the Chicago House of Spirituality, approving the request to construct an American Mashriqu'l-Adhkár.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá departs Paris for Stuttgart, Germany.
- 1937: Future Universal House of Justice member Hooper Dunbar is born.
- 1898: Fifty lunar years after His execution, the remains of the Báb arrive in the Holy Land.
- 1907: The Bahá'í calendar is used in North America for the first time.
- 1932: The Local Spiritual Assembly of New York City is incorporated; its constitution and by-laws are later used as a model by other Assemblies worldwide.
- 1963: During a televised interview in the United States, King Hasan of Morocco claimed that the Bahá'í Faith was not a religion and was "against good order and also morals".
Today in Bahá’í History
Selected anniversaries of events in Bahá’í history.
January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Bahá - Jalál - Jamál - ‘Aẓamat - Núr - Raḥmat - Kalimát - Kamál - Asmá’ - ‘Izzat - Mashíyyat - ‘Ilm - Qudrat - Qawl - Masá’il - Sharaf - Sulṭán - Mulk - Ayyám-i-Há - ‘Alá’
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It is now 04:08 on Friday, December 12, 2025 (UTC)
Selected anniversaries for April[edit]
- 1979: Iran officially becomes an Islamic Republic following a successful national referendum; in the years to follow, persecution of Bahá'ís increases dramatically.
- 1963: King Hasan of Morocco stated that he would pardon the death sentences of three Bahá'ís imprisoned for their religious beliefs.
- 2004: Ola Pawlowska, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to St. Pierre and Miquelon, dies.
- 1912: The RMS Cedric passes Gibraltar with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and his retinue on board, on their way to the United States.
- 1953: Florence Morton, an American Bahá'í who served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States in its infancy as well as on the National Teaching Committee of the United States, dies.
- 1961: Hand of the Cause of God Corinne True dies.
- 1923: Rahmatu'lláh Muhájir, Hand of the Cause of God and Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for the Mentawai Islands, is born.
- 2006: An Egyptian administrative court recognizes the independence of the Bahá’í Faith.
- 2008: The home of a Bahá’í is set on fire in Babolsar, in the north of Iran.
- 1841: Chester I. Thacher, an early American Bahá'í and Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is born.
- 1995: Sarah Pereira, an American Bahá'í who served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and as a Counsellor for North America and the Americas, dies.
- 1948: Firuz Kazemzadeh gives a thirty minute talk to students of Tufts Theological College who had requested a Bahá'í discussion.
- 1887: Horace Holley, prominent Bahá’í and Hand of the Cause is born in Torrington, Connecticut.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had intended to depart Hungary, but delays his departure as Count Pal Teleki, future Prime Minister of Hungary, requests that he speak at a meeting of the Túránian Society.
- 1966: Mirzá Ali-Kuli Khan, former amanuensis for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, dies.
- 1853: Bahá’u’lláh and His family complete the trip from Tehran to Baghdad following His exile.
- 1883: Elizabeth Hopper, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to the Madeira Islands, is born.
- 1848: The Báb is removed from the fortress of Máh-Kú by orders of Hájí Mírzá Áqásí.
- 1899: An upheaval against the Bahá'ís begins in Najafábád, with their homes being looted. They take refuge in the British Telegraph Office.
- 1908: Two building plots in Wilmette are purchased by the American Bahá'í community for a future Mashriqu'l-Adhkár.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in Budapest. He stays at the Ritz Hotel, and a press conference is held in the hotel lobby shortly after his arrival.
- 1848: The Báb is transfered to the fortress of Chihríq by orders of Hájí Mírzá Áqásí.
- 1854: Bahá’u’lláh retreats to the Sulaymaniyah mountains within Kurdistan.
- 1881: Sadie Oglesby, an early African American Bahá'í, is born.
- 1920: Hyde and Clara Dunn arrive in Sydney, Australia, becoming the first Bahá'ís in the country.
- 1993: Roger White, Bahá'í poet and author, dies.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in New York City for his visit to North America.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá delivers a talk at the old Parliament in Budapest, organized by members of the Peace Society and the Esperanto Association.
- 1873: Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney, the first French Bahá’í and Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is born.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks at the home of Mr. and Mrs. MacNutt in New York City.
- 1962: Four Bahá'ís are arrested in Nador, Morocco.
- 1982: A compilation titled Bahíyyih Khánum, the Greatest Holy Leaf is published by the Universal House of Justice.
- 2010: The Bahá'í 7, also known as the Yarán or "Friends in Iran", are brought to court for a third time since they were arrested in 2008.
- 1887: Bahá'u'lláh mentions the station Hand of the Cause in a Tablet revealed for Ibn-i-Asdaq.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá delivers a talk at the Cadogan Gardens.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá intending to depart Hungary, nevertheless delays his departure as Count Pal Teleki, future Prime Minister of Hungary, requests that he speak at a meeting of the Túránian Society.
- 1917: Ludwik Zamenhof, creator of Esperanto and father of Lidia Zamenhof, dies.
- 1995: Owen Battrick, Continental Counsellor for Australasia, dies.
- 1883: Dr. Artur Eduard Heinrich Brauns, Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is born.
- 1890: Edward Granville Browne meets Bahá'u'lláh at Bahjí. He is granted four interviews over the next five days.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's departure from Hungary is further delayed due to severe cold weather.
- 1924: Hadi Afsahi, future member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Sweden and Auxiliary Board Member, is born.
- 2018: The design for the local Bahá'í House of Worship in Matunda Soy, Kenya, is unveiled at a gathering of over 1,000 people.
- 1845: Mullá `Alíy-i-Bastámí is sent from Baghdad to Constantinople and sentenced to hard labour on the Imperial docks.
- 1912: News of the sinking of the RMS Titanic breaks; After praying for the deceased, the friends offered thanks that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had not traveled on that ship.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks in the Hotel Ansonia in New York City, and later visits the Kinney home.
- 1918: Barbara Sims, future member of the National Spiritual Assemblies of North East Asia and Japan, is born in San Francisco.
- 1863: William Henry Randall, Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is born.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits the home of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Emery in New York City, and attends a play about the crucifixion of Christ.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks in Earl Hall at Columbia University and at New York City's Bowery Mission.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá leaves Budapest and travels to Vienna by train, where He stays at the Grand Hotel. While in Vienna, He calls upon the Turkish ambassador, and in the evening He speaks at the Theosophical Hall.
- 1954: Shoghi Effendi appoints the first members of the Auxiliary Boards to act as deputies to the Hands of the Cause of God.
- 2004: Death of Aziz Yazdi, who was among the first members appointed to the International Teaching Centre in 1973.
- 1890: Edward Granville Browne departs Bahjí after five days, having been granted four successive interviews with Bahá’u’lláh.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá travels to Washington, D.C., staying at the home of Agnes Parsons. That evening He addresses a meeting of the Orient-Occident-Unity Conference in the public library.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is the guest of the Persian minister and the Turkish ambassador in Vienna.
- 1958: Ahmad Sohrab, former secretary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who later broke the Covenant, dies in New York City.
First day of the Festival of Riḍván.
- 1922: The Shrines of both the Báb and Bahá‘u‘lláh are electrically illuminated for the first time, pursuant to arrangements made by the Master before His ascension.
- 1963: The first World Congress takes place in London.
- 1963: The first Universal House of Justice is elected by representatives of 56 National Spiritual Assemblies gathered in Haifa, in synchronization with the end of the Ten Year Crusade.
- 1990: Two Knights of Bahá’u’lláh settle on the island of Sakhalin, the last remaining territory named by Shoghi Effendi in his Ten Year Crusade.
- 1863: Bahá’u’lláh declares himself to be He whom God shall make manifest in the Garden of Ridván in Baghdad on the eve of his exile to Constaninople, (Istanbul).
- 1909: Three Bahá'ís are killed in Hisár, Khurásán, and their wives seriously injured.
- 2008: A 70-year-old man of limited means living in Kermanshah is arrested and sentenced to one year in prison and 70 lashes for possessing three Bahá’í CDs.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá departs Vienna for Stuttgart by train, arriving the following morning.
- 2016: Joy Stevenson, Counsellor member of the International Teaching Centre, dies.
- 2018: The Twelfth International Convention opens at the Bahá'í World Center.
- 1900: Hájí `Abdu'l-Karím-i-Tihrání arrives in the United States with a translator, Mirza Sinore Raffie. He teaches the Bahá'í community, and attempts to convince Ibrahim Kheiralla to accept the Covenant.
- 1920: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is knighted by the British Empire in recognition of his humanitarian work during World War I.
- 1938: Death of Munírih Khánum, wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
- 1960: Following Mason Remey's claim to Guardianship, the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land cable all Continental Hands and National Spiritual Assemblies, calling upon them to repudiate his "misguided action".
Ninth day of Ridván: The International Convention is held on this day.
- 1905: Birth of Hand of the Cause 'Alí-Akbar Furútan
- 1912: Mírzá Yahyá dies in Cyprus and is buried as a Muslim.
- 1921: Birth of Adib Taherzadeh, prominent Bahá’í and Universal House of Justice member.
- 1972: Dedication of the Mother Temple of Latin America in Panama.
- 1851: Mullá Hasan-i-Fadíl, a Bábí, is executed in Yazd after refusing to recant his Faith.
- 1863: Bahá’u’lláh's family join Him at the Garden of Ridván in Baghdad.
Today in Bahá’í History
Selected anniversaries of events in Bahá’í history.
January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Bahá - Jalál - Jamál - ‘Aẓamat - Núr - Raḥmat - Kalimát - Kamál - Asmá’ - ‘Izzat - Mashíyyat - ‘Ilm - Qudrat - Qawl - Masá’il - Sharaf - Sulṭán - Mulk - Ayyám-i-Há - ‘Alá’
Today in History editing guidelines - Purge cache
It is now 04:08 on Friday, December 12, 2025 (UTC)
Selected anniversaries for May[edit]
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá lays the foundation stone for the first Bahá’í House of Worship in the West at Wilmette, Illinois.
- 2014: The Bahá'í International Community discloses news that Iran's Revolutionary Guards have begun excavation in a historically important Baha'i cemetery in Shiraz.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives two discourses at the Hotel Plaza and two at the Hotel LaSalle, both in Chicago.
- 1958: An International Conference takes place in Chicago.
- 1863: Bahá'u'lláh leaves the Garden of Ridván with His followers. They arrive in Firayját and stay there for seven days, unaware of where they are being exiled.
- 1911: Aurelia Bethlen departs San Francisco on a worldwide teaching trip, the first undertaken by a Bahá'í woman.
- 1963: William deForge, Auxiliary Board member for the Americas, dies.
- 1959: W. Kenneth Christian, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh and member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States of America, dies.
- 2015: Four Baha'is involved with the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE), unjustly imprisoned in Iran four years prior, are released after completing their sentences.
- 1901: Mírzá Áqá Ján, amanuensis of Bahá'u'lláh who broke the Covenant after His Ascension, dies.
- 1964: Richard Nolen, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to Azores, dies.
- 1965: The National Spiritual Assembly of Tanzania is incorporated.
- 1857: Charles Greenleaf, early American Bahá'í and a Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is born.
- 1883: Silver Jackman, Australian Baha’i and member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand, is born.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá leaves Chicago for Cleveland, where He gives an address at Euclid Hall. Later that day He visits the Sanitarium of Dr. C. Swingle.
- 2018: Three Bahá’ís of Abadan are arrested with their Bahá’í materials being seized.
- 2014: In a letter, the seven Bahá’í leaders imprisoned in Iran respond to Mohammad Javad Larijani regarding his claim that “No one is in prison for being a Bahá’í and if Bahá’ís do not commit illegal acts their citizenship rights will be protected”.
- 2016: Jenabe Caldwell, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to the Aleutian Islands, dies.
- 1892: Bahá'u'lláh contracts a slight fever.
- 1920: Wayne Hoover, American travelling teacher, is born.
- 2003: Death of David Hofman, Universal House of Justice member and founder of George Ronald Publisher.
- 1849: Battle of fort Tabarsí ends after a negotiated surrender in which the victors promise to let the Bábís go. Immediately afterward, the victors break their oath and kill many of the defenders.
- 1862: The Persian ambassador requests that the Ottomans move the Bábís farther from Persia.
- 1925: Verdict of the Islamic Court in Egypt pronouncing the Faith to be an independent religion.
- 1960: The Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land ask Baha'is everywhere "to have no association with Mr. Remey as long as he continues to press his false claim to the station of Guardianship."
- 2007: The first IPUE session for Malaysia was held. The only other country to be selected to be the pioneer country was Chile.
- 2007: Malietoa Tanumafili II, head of state of Samoa and one of the longest reigning monarchs in the world, passes away.
- 1869: Clara Dunn, a Hand of the Cause, is born in London.
- 1902: Mírzá Asadu'lláh leaves the United States.
- 1912: `Abdu'l-Bahá takes a ferry to New Jersey. He takes a train for Montclair where He addresses the congregation of the Unity Church, before returning to New York to speak to the International Peace Forum.
- 1944: Bahá’ís are persecuted at Ábádih, Iran. The Bahá’í centre is attacked by a mob of four thousand, the building is looted and destroyed and several Bahá’ís badly beaten.
- 1960: Six national spiritual assemblies send messages of support to the Custodians, repudiating the claim made by Charles Mason Remey to be the second Guardian.
- 1896: Ugo Giachery, prominent Hand of the Cause of God and International Bahá’í Council member, is born.
- 1913: Collis Featherstone, prominent Australian Bahá’í and Hand of the Cause, is born.
- 2016: Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani, daughter of former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani, meets with Fariba Kamalabadi, a member of the Friends in Iran, while the latter was on furlough from prison.
- 2018: The ten-year sentence of Afif Naeimi, the last member of the Friends in Iran remaining in prison, is extended, despite a judicial ruling stating that he is too ill to be incarcerated.
- 2008: Six members of the Baha'i 7 are arrested at their homes and taken to Iran's notorious Evin Prison.
- 1901: The Chicago Bahá'ís elect a nine-man Board of Council for a term of five years.
- 1934: The first National Convention of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand is held in Sydney, with nine delegates in attendance. The first National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand is elected with its seat in Sydney.
- 1940: Shoghi Effendi determines to go to England; thereafter, he and Rúhíyyih Khánum leave Haifa for Italy en route to London.
- 1849: Quddús, prominent disciple of the Báb, and the eighteenth and final Letter of the Living is tortured and executed.
- 2008: Brigitte Lundblade, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to the Shetland Islands, dies.
- 1982: Universal House of Justice member Amoz Gibson dies.
- 1874: John Esslemont, Hand of the Cause and Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is born.
- 1956: Louisa Mathew Gregory, whose wedding to Hand of the Cause of God Louis Gregory in 1912 was the first interracial western Bahá’í marriage, dies in Eliot, Maine.
- 1974: A mass trial in a military court in Iraq hands down in absentia sentences of life imprisonment on ten Bahá’ís, two of whom are already deceased. In the weeks following, several Bahá’ís in Iraq are imprisoned or have their property confiscated.
- 1978: The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahamas is formed with its seat in Nassau.
- 1897: Lua Getsinger becomes a Bahá'í in Chicago.
- 1971: Two conferences are held: The Caribbean Conference in Kingston, Jamaica, and the South Pacific Oceanic Conference in Suva, Fiji.
- 1991: National Spiritual Assemblies are established in the West Leeward Islands, Romania, Czechoslovakia, and the Soviet Union. The Bahá'ís of East and West Germany are united at their 61st convention for the first time after World War II.
- 1844: Two hours and eleven minutes after sunset, the Báb makes His declaration to Mullá Ḥusayn and reveals the first chapter of the Qayyúmu'l-Asmá' (Commentary on the Súrih of Joseph). The end of the Adamic Cycle of 6,000 years and the beginning of the Bahá'í Cycle; the beginning of the Heroic Age.
- 1944: The Centenary of the Declaration of the Báb is celebrated in the Holy Land, and at the House of the Báb in Shíráz; ninety delegates to the Iranian national convention and members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran assemble discreetly for the latter. The end of the celebrations marking this occasion signal the end of the First Epoch of the Formative Age.
- 1955: The dome of the National Bahá’í Centre in Tihrán is demolished with the personal participation of several high-ranking army officers. The publication of the pictures of this episode encourages a widespread outburst of persecution of Bahá’ís throughout Iran.
- 2001: At dusk, the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb are officially opened in a special ceremony attended by some 4,500 people from over 200 countries and territories.
- 2016: Ground is broken for the construction of the local Bahá'í House of Worship for Norte del Cauca, Colombia.
- 1844: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the successor to Bahá’u’lláh, is born in Tihrán at midnight.
- 1905: The first Nineteen Day Feast celebrated in the West is held in New York City, consisting of a devotional portion and a social part.
- 1912: The Bahá'ís of Cambridge, Massachusetts, celebrate `Abdu'l-Bahá's birthday with a cake bearing 68 candles. `Abdu'l-Bahá addresses the group on the importance of the Báb.
- 1955: The Bahá’í International Community submits its ‘Proposals for Charter Revision’ to the United Nations for the Conference for Revision of the UN Charter.
- 1986: Fourteen State Bahá’í Councils are elected in India by members of local spiritual assemblies.
- 1990: Work begins on the reinforcement and extension of the main terrace of the Shrine of the Báb, the initial step in the creation of the Terraces on Mount Carmel.
- 1892: Bahá'u'lláh calls to His bedside all the believers, including many pilgrims, for their last audience with Him.
- 1892: Birth of Knight of Bahá’u’lláh Mildred Clark.
- 1901: The name of the Chicago Board of Council is changed to the House of Justice. `Abdu'l-Bahá later requests that this name be changed.
- 1955: The Bahá’í centre at Karaj, Iran, is taken over.
- 1969: The first Bahá’í Youth Conference of Japan opens on Jogashima Island.
- 1979: Shaykh Muhammad Muvahhid, a well-known Bahá’í, is kidnapped in Tihrán.
- 1940: Shoghi Effendi and Rúhíyyih Khánum leave for England via Menton and Marseilles after having obtained a visa for Britain in Rome. A few days later the Italians enter World War II against the Allies.
- 1942: ‘Abdu’l-Jalíl Bey Sa‘d dies and is named a Hand of the Cause of God posthumously.
- 1950: Khodadad Fozdar arrives in Singapore, the first pioneer to the country. His wife, Shirin Fozdar, joins him several months later.
- 1982: The Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States House of Representatives hears the testimony of six witnesses concerning the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran.
- 2011: Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet were transferred from appalling conditions at Qarchak prison to Evin prison in Tehran.
- 1912: `Abdu'l-Bahá leaves Boston and returns to New York, arriving in the evening.
- 1978: The National Spiritual Assembly of the Mariana Islands is formed with its seat in Guam.
- 1993: The Office for the Advancement of Women officially opens at the headquarters of the Bahá'í International Community in New York.
- 1967: Death of Knight of Bahá’u’lláh Mildred Clark
- 1970: The Bahá’í International Community is granted consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
- 2008: /r/bahai, the first Bahá’í group on Reddit, is created.
- 1903: A large mob gathers at the Russian Consulate in Isfahán, Iran, where a group of Bahá'ís has sought shelter, and assault the Bahá'ís as they leave. One Bahá'í dies in the attack.
- 1992: Ibsen Valls Pinheiro, President of the Federal Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, opens a special session called to observe the Centenary of the Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh, attended by 45 federal deputies.
- 1992: The original scroll bearing the Roll of Honour of the Knights of Bahá'u'lláh is placed by Hand of the Cause Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum in a chamber at the entrance door of the inner sanctuary of the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh.
- 1892: Bahá’u’lláh dies, and his mortal remains are placed in the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh next to the Mansion of Bahjí where he spent his final years.
- 2016: A group of twelve Bangladeshi lawyers sign an open letter calling for an end to the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran.
- 1876: Sultán ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz is deposed.
- 1903: A letter from `Abdu'l-Bahá is received by the Chicago House of Spirituality giving His approval for the building of a Mashriqu'l-Adhkár in North America.
- 1955: Bahá’ís are attacked and wounded and their houses attacked in Ábádih, Iran.
- 1995: The first International Medical/Surgical Conference of Tirana is held under the auspices of Health for Humanity and the University of Tirana, attended by more than 400 Albanian physicians.
- 1872: Thomas Breakwell, the first English Bahá’í, is born.
- 1907: Chester I. Thacher, early American Bahá'í and Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, dies.
Today in Bahá’í History
Selected anniversaries of events in Bahá’í history.
January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Bahá - Jalál - Jamál - ‘Aẓamat - Núr - Raḥmat - Kalimát - Kamál - Asmá’ - ‘Izzat - Mashíyyat - ‘Ilm - Qudrat - Qawl - Masá’il - Sharaf - Sulṭán - Mulk - Ayyám-i-Há - ‘Alá’
Today in History editing guidelines - Purge cache
It is now 04:08 on Friday, December 12, 2025 (UTC)
Selected anniversaries for June[edit]
- 1898: Áqá Ghulám-Husayn-i-Banádakí is killed by a mob in Yazd after refusing to deny his faith.
- 1951: Behrouz Tavakkoli, member of the Friends in Iran, an ad hoc leadership group facilitating the activities of Bahá’ís in Iran, is born.
- 1955: The House of Bahá’u’lláh in Tákur, Mázandarán, Iran, is taken over.
- 1960: A Bahá’í pioneer leaves Thailand to settle in Luang Prabang, Laos.
- 1992: Bahá'ís from many countries participate in the United Nations Conference on the Environment (UNCED), known as the Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- 1929: Roger White, Bahá’í poet and author, is born.
- 1932: Daniel Jordan (pictured), member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, is born.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Milford, Pennsylvania, and stays there overnight.
- 1957: The Covenant-breakers occupying the properties surrounding the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and the Mansion of Bahjí lose their appeal to the Supreme Court of Israel; they are eventually evicted from the vicinity of the Shrine.
- 1955: Frank Wyss arrives in the Cocos Islands, and is named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh.
- 1966: Willard McKay, an American Bahá'í who pioneered to Canada and toured the southern United States with Louis Gregory to promote racial unity, dies.
- 2004: Violet Hoehnke (pictured), Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to the Admiralty Islands, dies.
- 1894: Thornton Chase (pictured) becomes a Bahá’í after attending Ibrahim Kheiralla's classes in Chicago.
- 1973: Establishment of the International Teaching Centre by the Universal House of Justice.
- 1993: Gertrude Blum, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to the Solomon Islands.
- 1874: Hand of the Cause Louis Gregory (pictured) is born in Charleston, South Carolina.
- 1873: Amelia Collins (pictured), prominent Bahá’í and Hand of the Cause is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks in the Champney home in New York, and then leaves for Philadelphia. He is so tired upon his arrival that he is forced to cancel some of His engagements.
- 2010: Concerns for the Yarán, the seven Bahá’ís imprisoned in Iran, are expressed at the 14th session of the United Nations' Human Rights Council in Geneva, and in individual contributions from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks in the Unitarian Church at 15th St. and Girard Ave. in Philadelphia.
- 1877: Bahá'u'lláh's residence is moved to Mazra'ih (pictured).
- 2008: An outbuilding on the property of elderly Baha’is living in Iran's Fars Province is destroyed by arsonists.
- 1965: The National Spiritual Assembly of Kenya is incorporated.
- 2012: Bahá’í poet Robert Hayden (pictured), the first African-American to be appointed a United States Poet Laureate, is honoured on a postage stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service.
- 1887: Orcella Rexford (pictured), an early Bahá'í travel teacher who was among the first to teach the Faith in Alaska, is born.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá travels from Paris to Marseilles.
- 2010: The seven Bahá’í leaders imprisoned in Iran appear in court on three successive mornings, before the trial concludes.
- 1902: Thomas Breakwell (pictured) passes away from tuberculosis in Paris.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá boards the S. S. Himalaya in Marseilles and sails to Port Said, Egypt.
- 1876: Birth of Hand of the Cause of God George Townshend.
- 1903: Haji Mirza Halabi-Saz, a Bahá’í from Yazd, is brutally killed. The murder took place shortly after the appointment of a new prayer leader in the city, who resolved to incite hatred towards Bahá’ís; around 200 more killings occurred during the following month.
- 1897: Birth of Adelbert Mühlschlegel, Hand of the Cause of God and prominent German Bahá’í
- 1850: The Governor of Nayríz calls a truce with Vahíd and writes a promise of safety if Vahíd left the fort on the Qur'án. Vahíd leaves the fort of Khájih and meets with the Governor in his siege camp.
- 1893: Áqá Muhammad-Ridáy-i-Muhammadábádí is murdered on the orders of two Islamic clergymen in Yazd. He is the first martyr of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's ministry.
- 1986: Yankee Leong, Counsellor and the first Bahá’í of Malaya, dies.
- 1983: Ten Bahá’í women, including 17-year-old Mona Mahmudnizhad, are hanged in Shiraz, Iran after being arrested for teaching religious children's classes to Bahá’í youth.
- 1991: Death of John Robarts, prominent Canadian Bahá’í and Hand of the Cause of God
- 2017: The design for the local House of Worship for Tanna, Vanuatu is unveiled.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, on a visit to New York City, gives the city the title of "City of the Covenant".
- 1953: In a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada, Shoghi Effendi designates the home of May and William Sutherland Maxwell in Montreal as a shrine.
- 1968: Establishment of the Continental Board of Counsellors by the Universal House of Justice.
- 1870: Mirzá Mihdí falls through a skylight in the barracks in ‘Akká where the family of Bahá'u'lláh is imprisoned. He succumbs to his injuries the next day.
- 1845: Quddús, Mullá Ṣádiq-i-Khurásání, Mullá ‘Alí-Akbar-i-Ardistání and Mullá Abú-Ṭálib are arrested, tortured and expelled from Shíráz. The Times of London later reports this news, becoming the first printed reference to the Báb's Revelation.
- 1870: Mirzá Mihdí dies in 'Akká, succumbing to injuries he sustained after falling through a skylight.
- 1926: Birth of Enoch Olinga, Hand of the Cause of God and Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for British Cameroon.
- 2013: The illegal demolition of the residence of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad begins.
- 1942: Upon the death of ‘Abdu’l-Jalíl Bey Sa‘d, he is posthumously appointed as a Hand of the Cause by Shoghi Effendi.
- 1961: The first meeting of the International Bahá’í Council takes place at the Bahá’í World Centre, lasting for four days.
- 2013: Bahá’ís in Baghdad discover that the “most holy habitation” of Bahá’u’lláh in that city had been illegally destroyed to make way for the construction of a mosque.
- 1826: Shaykh Aḥmad-i-Aḥsá’í (pictured), leader of the Shaykhí sect of Shi'a Islam, passes away near Medina; he is succeeded by Siyyid Káẓim-i-Rashtí.
- 1845: Prince Dolgorukov, formerly of the Russian legation to the Ottoman Empire, is appointed Russian ambassador to Ṭihrán. He arrives in January of the following year.
- 1979: The Minister of Education in Iran's new revolutionary government issues a memorandum requiring that all Bahá’í teachers be expelled from Iranian schools.
Today in Bahá’í History
Selected anniversaries of events in Bahá’í history.
January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Bahá - Jalál - Jamál - ‘Aẓamat - Núr - Raḥmat - Kalimát - Kamál - Asmá’ - ‘Izzat - Mashíyyat - ‘Ilm - Qudrat - Qawl - Masá’il - Sharaf - Sulṭán - Mulk - Ayyám-i-Há - ‘Alá’
Today in History editing guidelines - Purge cache
It is now 04:08 on Friday, December 12, 2025 (UTC)
Selected anniversaries for July[edit]
- 1936: The National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada appoints the first Inter-America Committee, beginning an organized and coordinated effort to establish the Faith in the Republics of Central and South America.
- 1960: Ben and Louise Whitecow (early Peigan believers) marry in Calgary, Alberta, the first Bahá’ís in Canada to have a legally recognized Bahá’í marriage.
- 1989: The first European Bahá’í Women’s Conference is held at De Poort Conference Centre, Netherlands.
- 2009: More than 20 members of the European Bahá'í Business Forum participated in the Global Ethics Forum, held at United Nations headquarters in Geneva.
- 1936: At the World Congress of Faiths in London, George Townshend, with the approval of Shoghi Effendi, presents the paper *Bahá’u’lláh’s Ground Plan of World Fellowship*.
- 1990: The National Spiritual Assembly of Guyana announces that the Bahá'ís constitute about five percent of the total population of the country.
- 1964: Dedication of the first Bahá’í House of Worship on the European continent at Frankfurt, Germany.
- 1989: Death of prominent Hand of the Cause of God and International Bahá’í Council member, Ugo Giachery.
- 1892: Nabil-i-Akbar, one of the Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh, passes away and is buried in Bukhara, now part of Uzbekistan.
- 1968: Hermann Grossmann, Hand of the Cause of God, dies in Germany.
- 2008: The Shrine of the Báb and the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh are chosen as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
- 1850: Martyrdom of the Báb in Tabriz.
- 1950: Completion of the Arcade and Parapet of the Shrine of the Báb on Mt. Carmel.
- 1850: An artist is commissioned to make a sketch of the body of the Báb, which was thrown onto the edge of the moat of the city of Tabriz (pictured) after His Martyrdom.
- 2014: The Universal House of Justice addresses a message to the Bahá'ís of the world, providing details about the universal adoption of the Badi Calendar.
- 1850: Following the Martyrdom of the Báb, the bodies of the Báb and His companion, Anís, are removed from the moat of Tabriz and taken to a silk factory.
- 1960: Horace Holley, prominent Bahá’í and Hand of the Cause passes away in Haifa, Israel.
- 1912: 'Abdu'l-Bahá speaks at the Unitarian Church of New York.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá speaks at the All Souls Unitarian Church in New York.
- 1945: Shoghi Effendi posthumously elevates Siyyid Mustafá Rúmí to the rank of Hand of the Cause.
- 1932 - Bahá’u’lláh's daughter the Greatest Holy Leaf passes away.
- 1926: The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada makes representations to the Iranian government concerning the recent martyrdom of Bahá'ís in Jahrum, asking the Sháh to intervene on behalf of the oppressed Bahá’ís.
- 1848: The Bábís gathered at the Conference of Badasht leave for Mázindarán. Along the way, they are attacked by a mob of more than 500 outside the village of Níyálá.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá presides over the marriage of Grace Robarts (Ober) and Harlan Ober in New York.
- 1973: The National Spiritual Assembly of Equatorial Guinea is elected for the first time.
- 1907: The Chicago "Bahai Assembly" files an affidavit of incorporation, becoming the first Bahá'í community to acquire legal status.
- 1994: The European Bahá'í Youth Council sponsors five regional ‘Shaping Europe' conferences, in Berlin, Bucharest, St. Petersburg, Barcelona and Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.
- 1848: Mullá Ḥusayn hoists the Black Standard and marches with 202 other Bábís to Mashhad.
- 1875: Birth of Hand of the Cause, Agnes Alexander.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá is received by Prince Muhammad-'Alí Páshá, brother of the Khedive of Egypt, in New York.
- 1946: Death of John Bosch, founder of Bosch Bahá’í School.
- 1965: Death of distinguished Bahá’í Leroy Ioas, Hand of the Cause and past Secretary General of the International Bahá’í Council (pictured).
- 1993: The Bahá’í community of France accuses Iranian officials of razing an historic Bahá’í cemetery, an allegation that is later confirmed by a US State Department report, which states that a cultural center was subsequently built on this grave site.
- 2018: The Bahá'í House of Worship in Norte del Cauca, Colombia, is dedicated in a ceremony gathering over 1,000 people.
- 1909: Louis Gregory accepts the Bahá’í Faith, later to be appointed a Hand of the Cause by Shoghi Effendi.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá departs New York for a visit to Boston, where He gives a talk in the Hotel Victoria.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá addresses the Theosophical Society in Boston.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá speaks a second time in the Hotel Victoria, in Boston.
- 1981: The United Kingdom holds its first National Women's Conference in Manchester, attended by 230 people.
- 2008: Vietnam formally recognizes the Bahá'í Faith as a religious community, following the re-establishment of the National Spiritual Assembly some months earlier.
- 1868: Sultán 'Abdu'l-'Azíz (pictured) issues a firmán condemning Bahá'u'lláh to perpetual banishment.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá travels to Dublin, New Hampshire, where He resides at an estate owned by Agnes Parsons.
- 1960: The Hands of the Cause of God declare Charles Mason Remey a Covenant-breaker.
- 1931: Swiss Bahá’í Auguste Forel, world-renowned psychiatrist, entomologist, anatomist, social reformer and peace worker, dies.
- 1953: Siegfried Schopflocher, Hand of the Cause of God (pictured), dies in Montreal.
- 1992: The National Spiritual Assembly of Tonga broadcasts the first of its weekly 30-minute television programmes.
- 1940: Shoghi Effendi (pictured) leaves England for South Africa accompanied by Rúhíyyih Khánum and William Sutherland Maxwell, beginning a journey that would take them across Africa on their way back to Palestine.
- 1994: The World Forestry Charter Gatherings, established by Richard St. Barbe Baker in 1945, are re-instituted by the Bahá'í International Community's Office of the Environment.
- 1831: Birth of Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh and noted historian Nabíl-i-A'zam.
- 1980: Death of Adelbert Mühlschlegel, Hand of the Cause of God and prominent German Bahá’í.
- 1951: Louis Gregory dies in Eliot, Maine; he is posthumously appointed as a Hand of the Cause by Shoghi Effendi.
- 1963: Death of pioneer and notable Bahá’í Genevieve Coy
Today in Bahá’í History
Selected anniversaries of events in Bahá’í history.
January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Bahá - Jalál - Jamál - ‘Aẓamat - Núr - Raḥmat - Kalimát - Kamál - Asmá’ - ‘Izzat - Mashíyyat - ‘Ilm - Qudrat - Qawl - Masá’il - Sharaf - Sulṭán - Mulk - Ayyám-i-Há - ‘Alá’
Today in History editing guidelines - Purge cache
It is now 04:08 on Friday, December 12, 2025 (UTC)
Selected anniversaries for August[edit]
- 1855: Birth of John Bosch, founder of Bosch Bahá’í School
- 1951: The Bahá’í community of Uganda is established following the arrival of pioneers from Great Britain and Iran
- 1918: Birth of Universal House of Justice member Amoz Gibson (pictured).
- 1947: The Bahá’í community of the Netherlands officially registers its first new believer.
- 1986: Sir Thomas Davis, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, makes a historic visit to the World Centre for a consultation with the Universal House of Justice on world peace.
- 1971: The first Bahá’í College Club of Latin America is formed at the University of the Americas, Puebla, Mexico.
- 1912: 'Abdu'l-Bahá speaks at the Dublin Inn in Dublin, New Hampshire.
- 1969: Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum and her companion, Violette Nakhjavání, arrive in Kampala, Uganda, at the start of the ‘Great Safari’.
- 1912: 'Abdu'l-Bahá speaks at the home of Agnes Parsons in Dublin, New Hampshire.
- 1982: An International Conference to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf (pictured) is held in Quito, Ecuador, attended by some 1,450 Bahá’ís from 43 countries.
- 1986: The Indo-Chinese Refugee Committee of Thailand estimates that five to six thousand people are Bahá’ís in the refugee camps on the Thai border.
- 1990: The first local spiritual assembly in the Ukraine is formed in Kyiv.
- 1954: Marcia Steward de Matamoros Atwater arrives in the Marshall Islands and is named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh.
- 1910: Rúhíyyih Khánum (pictured as a young woman), wife to Shoghi Effendi, is born in New York City to parents May and William Sutherland Maxwell.
- 2010: Reports are received that the Baha'i 7 have each received jail sentences of 20 years, the highest sentences ever given to prisoners of conscience in Iran.
- 1912: A few weeks before his death, Thornton Chase (pictured) writes a poem about 'Abdu’l-Bahá that is eventually published in Star of the West.
- 2010: After two years of being detained without charge, the Baha'i 7 are moved from Iran's notorious Evin Prison to Raja'i Shahr Prison, 20 km west of Tehran.
- 1910: Though in very poor health due to his long imprisonment, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá journeys to Egypt to spread the Faith accompanied by Shoghi Effendi.
- 1968: Death of Luṭfu’lláh Ḥakím, Universal House of Justice member and International Bahá’í Council member.
- 2016: Soldiers raid an educational gathering on the theme of moral empowerment and service co-organized by the Bahá’ís of Yemen. More than sixty participants are arrested, among them youth and children.
- 1844: The Báb sends Mullá ‘Alíy-i-Basṭámí to Najaf and Karbilá to proclaim His Cause to the Shaykhís, sparking violent debate. Mullá ‘Alí is later taken to Baghdád to be imprisoned, and then to Constantinople, becoming the first Bábí martyr.
- 1911: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sails for Marseille, later journeying to London and Paris.
- 1868: Bahá'u'lláh departs from Adrianople to Gallipoli, the first leg of a long journey which will finally bring him to 'Akká.
- 1863: Bahá’u’lláh departs by steamer from the port of Sámsun to Constantinople.
- 1912: 'Abdu'l-Bahá speaks a second time at the home of Agnes Parsons in Dublin, New Hampshire.
- 1945: The German Bahá’ís, 80 per cent of whom live in the American sector of occupied Germany, obtain permission to re-organize.
- 1970: The first of eight Oceanic and Continental Conferences are held: One in La Paz, Bolivia, and one in Rose Hill, Mauritius.
- 1852: Angry Bábís, acting on their own volition, make a failed attempt to kill Nasser al-Din Shah.
- 1864: Díyá'u'lláh is born to Fátimih and Bahá’u’lláh.
- 1912: Agnes Parsons hosts a farewell meeting for 'Abdu'l-Bahá at her home in Dublin, New Hampshire.
- 1863: Arrival of Bahá’u’lláh in Constantinople on Sunday at noon.
- 1912: 'Abdu'l-Bahá travels to Green Acre in Eliot, Maine, giving a talk minutes after His arrival. Thereafter, He visits Sarah Farmer in a sanitarium in Portsmouth, returning to Green Acre afterwards to give one of the longest talks of His entire tour.
- 1912: 'Abdu'l-Bahá gives four talks at Green Acre.
- 1937: Martha Root departs Shanghai by steamship, four days after hostilities began between China and Japan.
- 1974: Laura Dreyfus-Barney, compiler of Some Answered Questions, dies in Paris.
- 1872: Birth of prominent Bahá’í and "foremost travel teacher in the first Bahá’í Century", Martha Root.
- 1901: Sultan 'Abdu'l-Hamid re-imposes confinement of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá et al. within the walls of ‘Akká.
- 1909: Birth of Paul Haney, Custodian and Hand of the Cause.
- 1921: Agnes Alexander (pictured) became the first Bahá’í to visit Korea.
- 1937: Martha Root arrives by steamship in Manila, five minutes before the occurrence of the worst earthquake in that city in a century.
- 1868: Bahá’u’lláh departs from Gallipoli by steamer for Haifa, and then by sail to 'Akká.
- 1980: The members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran are arrested; they disappear without trace and are presumed dead.
- 2003: Ruth Pringle passes away in Costa Rica at the age of 83 after 5 decades of service to the Faith, including 2 decades on the Continental Boards of Counsellors.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá departs Green Acre for Malden, Massachusetts, stopping in Portsmouth along the way to call on Sarah Farmer. Arriving in Malden, He stays at the home of Maria Wilson.
- 1957: The Bahá'ís of Japan hold their first summer school in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture.
- 1958: The Hands of the Cause announce that pilgrimages to the Baha'i World Centre would again be permitted, following the death of Shoghi Effendi.
- 1912: 'Abdu'l-Baha addresses the New Thought Forum in the Metaphysical Club, Boston.
- 1963: The Universal House of Justice announces the demolition by the Soviet authorities of the House of Worship in ‘Ishqábád (pictured) owing to earthquake damage.
- 1979: An Administrative Committee for Uganda is appointed by the Universal House of Justice to prepare the Bahá’í community for the re-establishment of the National Spiritual Assembly.
- 1912: 'Abdu'l-Baha speaks at Franklin Square House in Boston.
- 1953: Ella Bailey dies in Tripoli, Libya, at the age of 88. She is elevated to the rank of the martyrs.
- 1992: The 44th session of the Sub-Commission of Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities of the UN passes a resolution drawing attention to the renewed persecution of religious minorities and summary killings of Bahá’ís.
- 1851: Bahá’u’lláh arrives in Karbilá, Iraq for the start of a 10 month pilgrimage, during which he spread the Báb's Teachings to the people.
- 1910: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá leaves the Holy Land for the first time in forty-two years, journeying to Egypt.
- 1983: Iran's Prosecutor-General announces the formal banning of all Bahá’í religious institutions in the country, and declares membership in them and service to them to be criminal offences.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in Montreal, staying at the home of May and William Sutherland Maxwell. It is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's first and only visit to Canada.
- 1868: Bahá’u’lláh arrives in ‘Akká.
- 1876: 'Abdu'l-Hamid II becomes Sultan, upon which the banishment decree of Sultan 'Abdu'l-Aziz is relaxed.
Today in Bahá’í History
Selected anniversaries of events in Bahá’í history.
January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Bahá - Jalál - Jamál - ‘Aẓamat - Núr - Raḥmat - Kalimát - Kamál - Asmá’ - ‘Izzat - Mashíyyat - ‘Ilm - Qudrat - Qawl - Masá’il - Sharaf - Sulṭán - Mulk - Ayyám-i-Há - ‘Alá’
Today in History editing guidelines - Purge cache
It is now 04:08 on Friday, December 12, 2025 (UTC)
Selected anniversaries for September[edit]
- 1848: August Forel, famous scientist and Bahá'í who received a well-known tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is born.
- 1921: Agnes Alexander speaks at a public meeting in Seoul, with an audience of about 900 people.
- 1925: Arthur Brauns, early German Bahá'í and Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who introduced his father-in-law August Forel to the Bahá’í Faith, dies.
- 1984: Dedication of the House of Worship in Apia, Western Samoa.
- 2017: Dedication of the first local House of Worship in Battambang, Cambodia.
- 1868: The Governor of 'Akká, on a visit to the Bahá’ís in the city barracks shortly after their arrival, is deeply impressed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and is moved to improve their conditions.
- 1968: Death of Hand of the Cause, Tarázu'lláh Samandarí.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá gives an address at Coronation Hall in Montreal.
- 1983: The National Spiritual Assembly of Iran sends an open letter to the Prosecutor General of the Islamic Revolution refuting the false charges made against the Bahá’ís and informing him of their willingness to obey the government. The National Spiritual Assembly is dissolved.
- 1848: Muhammad Shah (pictured), intending to order the death of Bahá’u’lláh, dies, and is succeeded as Sháh of Persia by 17-year old Násiri'd-Dín Sháh. Hájí Mírza Aqásí, chief antagonist of the Báb and the Antichrist of the Bábí Faith, is expelled from the capital.
- 1911: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in London.
- 1995: The Fourth World Conference on Women begins in Beijing, China; the conference is attended by more than 500 Baha'is and an official delegation from the Bahá’í International Community.
- 1868: Mírzá Yahyá begins his exile in Cyprus, arriving with his family and four followers of Bahá'u'lláh.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá gives an address at St. James Methodist Church in Montreal.
- 1973: Death of John Ferraby (pictured), Hand of the Cause and Custodian of the Bahá’í Faith.
- 1954: The first people to become Bahá’ís in Bechuanaland (Lesotho), Chadwick and ‘Maselai (Mary) Mohapi, enrol.
- 1957: Shoghi Effendi announces ‘the complete evacuation of the remnant of Covenant-breakers and the transfer of all their belongings from the precincts of the Most Holy Shrine’.
- 2016: The Bahá’í International Community calls on Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to end the severe economic oppression imposed on the Bahá’ís in Iran.
- 1908: Hand of the Cause of God and well celebrated author Hasan Balyúzí (pictured) is born.
- 1972: The first Local Spiritual Assembly in Malta is formed.
- 1889: Haji Muhammad Rida Isfahani, a Bahá'í living in Ishqabad, is stabbed to death by a mob in the city's bazaar.
- 1979: The House of the Báb in Shiraz, Iran (pictured) is destroyed by Revolutionary Guardsmen, and later razed by the government.
- 1980: Seven innocent Bahá'ís are executed in Yazd.
- 1844: The Báb, Quddús and the Báb's Ethiopian servant, Mubarak, leave Shíráz for Búshihr en route to Mecca. The journey takes ten days.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's visit to Montreal ends.
- 1911: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives his first address to a Western audience in City Temple, London. The English translation is spoken by Wellesley Tudor Pole.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá speaks in the Church of the Messiah, North and Mariner Streets, in Buffalo.
- 1848: 17-year-old Násiri'd-Dín Sháh accedes to the throne of Persia. The first four years of his reign are marked by fierce and bloody persecutions of Bábís.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá departs for Chicago by train, where He is greeted by a large throng of people, including Saichiro Fujita. He is then driven to the home of Corinne True.
- 1976: Malietoa Tanumafili II of Western Samoa visits Shoghi Effendi's grave in London, England.
- 1885: Bahá'í philosopher Alain LeRoy Locke, who was known as the "Dean of the Harlem Renaissance", is born in Philadelphia.
- 1911: Keith Ransom-Kehler meets 'Abdu’l-Bahá in London. She would become a Bahá'í ten years later, in 1921.
- 1886: Mishkín-Qalam leaves Cyprus on a Syrian vessel going direct to Akká.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá speaks at the Theosophical Society in Chicago.
- 1927: Dr. George Augur, Disciple of 'Abdu’l-Bahá, dies in Hawaii.
- 1882: Khadijih-Bagum, wife of the Báb, dies in Shíráz.
- 1902: Mirza 'Azizu'llah visits Count Leo Tolstoy and speaks at length about the history, teachings, and station of Bahá’u’lláh.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá travels by train to Kenosha, Wisconsin. On arrival, He addresses the Bahá'í friends; he gives a public presentation in the evening at the Congregational Church.
- 2018: Yemen’s Houthi authorities, with the support of Iran, target some 20 Baha’is with a string of baseless charges, including espionage and apostasy.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá speaks in the home of Corinne True in Chicago, shortly before departing for Minneapolis.
- 1979: Death of Enoch Olinga, Hand of the Cause of God and Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for British Cameroon.
- 1961: Dedication of the House of Worship in Sydney, Australia.
Bahaipedia:Today in History/September 18 view - talk - edit
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá addresses the Commercial Club and the Jewish Reform Temple in Minneapolis.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá speaks at the homes of Mr. Albert L. Hall and Dr. and Mrs. Clement Woolson, in Minneapolis.
- 1935: Birth of prolific author and founding member of the Association for Bahá’í Studies, William S. Hatcher
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá departs Minneapolis for Omaha, Nebraska, where He stays overnight.
- 1912: 'Abdul-Bahá visits the home of William Jennings Bryan (future secretary of state under Woodrow Wilson), in Lincoln, Nebraska. Although Bryan is not home, 'Abdul-Bahá meets with his wife and daughter.
- 2007: Passing of Dr. ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá, the longest surviving Hand of the Cause of God.
- 1846: The Báb is arrested in Shíráz at the house of His uncle, and is released on the condition that He leave the area.
- 1893: First public mention of the Bahá’í Faith in the West. In a session of the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago, the Reverend George A. Ford, a Syrian missionary, reads a paper talking about Bahá’u’lláh.
- 1918: ‘Akká is liberated by British and Indian cavalry; ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is again freed.
- 1920: Excavation begins for the foundation of the North American House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.
- September 25: The Bahá’ís of Colombia release an open letter appealing to all Colombians to seize an “historic opportunity” for peace, in advance of a deal to end the country's long-running civil war.
Bahaipedia:Today in History/September 26 view - talk - edit
- 1939: Death of prominent Bahá’í and "foremost travel teacher in the first Bahá’í Century", Martha Root
- 1906 - Birth of Universal House of Justice member Charles Wolcott.
- 1990 - Death of prominent Australian Bahá’í and Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone
- 1844: The Báb receives a letter from Mullá Ḥusayn recounting his journey and meeting with Bahá’u’lláh.
- 1912: Thornton Chase passes on to the Abha Kingdom, at his home in Los Angeles, California.
Today in Bahá’í History
Selected anniversaries of events in Bahá’í history.
January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Bahá - Jalál - Jamál - ‘Aẓamat - Núr - Raḥmat - Kalimát - Kamál - Asmá’ - ‘Izzat - Mashíyyat - ‘Ilm - Qudrat - Qawl - Masá’il - Sharaf - Sulṭán - Mulk - Ayyám-i-Há - ‘Alá’
Today in History editing guidelines - Purge cache
It is now 04:08 on Friday, December 12, 2025 (UTC)
Selected anniversaries for October[edit]
Bahaipedia:Today in History/October 1 view - talk - edit
Bahaipedia:Today in History/October 2 view - talk - edit
- 1844: (or Oct. 2) The Báb departs on a sailing-boat for His pilgrimage to Mecca, instructing His followers to wait for Him in Karbilá.
- 1987: The Bahá’í Faith becomes the sixth world religion to join the Network On Conservation and Religion of the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Bahaipedia:Today in History/October 4 view - talk - edit
- 1958: The first Bahá'í wedding in the Federation of Malaya and Singapore is held, and attended by Hand of the Cause Abu'l-Qásim Faizi.
Bahaipedia:Today in History/October 6 view - talk - edit
Bahaipedia:Today in History/October 7 view - talk - edit
- 1912: `Abdu'l-Bahá speaks at Stanford Junior University in Palo Alto, to an audience of two thousand.
- 1952: Shoghi Effendi announces his decision to launch ‘the fate-laden, soul-stirring, decade-long world-embracing Spiritual Crusade’ in the coming year.
- 1964: The National Spiritual Assembly of Vietnam is incorporated.
- 1967: The foundation stone of the Mother Temple of Latin America, Panama City is laid by Hand of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum.
1968: A Moroccan Bahá'í, a widowed mother of seven children, is sentenced to six months’ imprisonment in Morocco for refusing to deny her faith. view - talk - edit
- 1848: Mullá Husayn and his company arrive near Bárfurúsh, where they are attacked by a mob of townspeople at the instigation of local clergy.
- 1902: The Bahai Publishing Society, a non-profit company, becomes the first Bahá'í institution to be legally incorporated.
- 1951: Ted Cardell arrives in Kenya, the first Bahá’í pioneer to arrive in the country as part of the African Campaign.
- 1953: Fawzí Zaynu’l-‘Ábidín and his wife, Bahíyyih ‘Alí Sa‘di’d-Dín, arrive in Tetuán and are named Knights of Bahá’u’lláh for Spanish Morocco.
- 1848: Mullá Ḥusayn and not less than 72 fellow Bábís arrive at Fort Tabarsi (pictured), eventually to be besieged by thousands of soldiers.
- 1902: Birth of `Abdu'l-Hamíd Ishráq-Khávarí, Bahá'í scholar, author and translator, in Mashhad.
- 1977: The world's first Bahá’í cultural and educational radio station in Ecuador makes its first broadcast.
- 1953: Knights of Bahá'u'lláh: Frederick and Elizabeth Laws arrive in Basutoland (now called Lesotho); Esther Evans and Lillian Middlemast arrive in St. Lucia, in the Windward Islands; and Una Townshend arrives in Malta.
- 1971: Following the banning of Bahá’í activities in Egypt in 1960, Egyptian Bahá’ís submit a petition to the Supreme Constitutional Court asking for redress and for justice to be upheld.
- 1977: The Asian Bahá’í Women’s Conference (pictured) is held in New Delhi, attended by more than a thousand women from across Asia.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Phoebe Hearst at her estate, at her invitation.
- 1913: Daniel Jenkyn, from England, makes a two-week trip through the Netherlands, the first time a Bahá'í journeys to the country to teach the Faith.
- 1953: Knights of Bahá’u’lláh: Gertrude Eisenberg arrives in Las Palmas, Canary Islands; Robert and Elinor Wolff arrive in Dutch Guiana (Suriname); Edith M. Danielsen arrives on Aitutaki Island in the Cook Islands, later to settle in Avarua, Rarotonga. On the same day, Shoghi Effendi announces the settling of 13 further Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, with 178 territories now open to the Faith.
- 1848: The siege of the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsí begins.
- 1855: Robert Turner (pictured), the first black American Bahá'í, is born.
- 1953: Knights of Bahá’u’lláh: Eberhard Friedland arrives in French Guiana; Enoch Olinga arrives in Victoria (Limbé), in the British Cameroons.
- 1961: The fifth Conclave of the Hands of the Cause of God is convened at Bahjí.
- 1875: Hand of the Cause of God Tarázu'lláh Samandarí (pictured) is born in Qazvín.
- 1953: Benjamin Weeden and his wife Gladys arrive in Antigua and are named Knights of Bahá’u’lláh for the Leeward Islands.
- 1993: Marzieh Gail, Bahá'í translator and author, passes away.
- 2004: The first annual Australian Baha’i Film Festival takes place at the Sydney Baha’i Centre.
- 1953: Knight of Bahá'u'lláh Bertha Dobbins arrives in Vanuatu.
- 1977: Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum lays the foundation stone of the Mother Temple of the Indian Subcontinent (pictured).
- 1980: Leonora Armstrong, the ‘spiritual mother of South America’ and the first Latin American pioneer, dies in Bahia, Brazil.
- 1912: `Abdu'l-Bahá leaves San Francisco for Los Angeles, arriving the same day.
- 1953: George and Marguerite (Peggy) True arrive on Tenerife and are named Knights of Bahá’u’lláh for the Canary Islands.
- 1960: The fourth Conclave of the Hands of the Cause of God is convened at Bahjí.
- 1985: The remains of Mírzá Muhammad-Qulí and 11 members of his family are re-interred in a new Bahá’í cemetery near the original grave site.
- 2017: Release of the film Light to the World, a documentary about Bahá'u'lláh.
- 1863: Bahá’u’lláh reveals the Tablet of the Bell.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits the grave of Thornton Chase in Inglewood, California (pictured).
- 1926: Birth of author and theologist Udo Schaefer
- 1966: Death of Malcolm King, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to British Guiana.
- 2018: The Bahá’í International Community participates in the 6th Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana, Kazakhstan.
- 1819: The Báb is born in Shiráz, Iran.
- 1848: Quddús arrives at Fort Tabarsí (pictured).
- 2008: The Universal House of Justice announces a series of 41 regional conferences to be held throughout the world from November 2008 to March 2009.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá leaves Los Angeles for San Francisco.
- 1983: Panama issues a postage stamp bearing the picture of the House of Worship in Panama City (pictured).
- 1984: Chaim Herzog, President of Israel, pays an official visit to the Bahá’í World Centre, becoming the first head of state to visit the Seat of the House of Justice.
- 1989: The Southern African Bahá’í Association for the Advancement of Women is formed in Johannesburg.
- 1872: Martha Root, Hand of the Cause and itinerant Bahá'í teacher (pictured), is born in Richmond, Ohio.
- 1951: Ethel Stephens arrives in Accra, becoming the first Bahá’í pioneer to Ghana, and the first black American pioneer to Africa.
- 1961: The First Bahá’í wedding in Malaysia is conducted.
- 2017: Yemeni security forces raid a Baha’i gathering in Sana’a, opening fire on the small group of people assembled to commemorate the Bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh.
- 1888: The martyrdom of Mírzá Ashraf of Ábádih in Isfahán. He is hanged, his body burnt and left hanging in the market. Later his body is buried beneath a wall.
- 1933: Keith Ransom-Kehler (pictured) dies of smallpox in Isfahán; she is buried near the grave of the King of Martyrs. After her death, Shoghi Effendi names her America’s ‘first and distinguished martyr’ and elevates her to the rank of Hand of the Cause.
- 1934: Dr. Susan Moody dies in Iran. She is buried near the graves of Lillian Kappes and Sarah Clock in the Tihrán Bahá’í cemetery.
- 1950: Nur Ali, a well-known and respected public servant in Suva, becomes a Bahá’í, the first to accept the Faith in Fiji.
- 1959: The third Conclave of the Hands of the Cause of God is convened at Bahjí, during which Charles Mason Remey unsuccessfully attempts to convince his fellow Hands that the Guardianship should continue.
- 1953: Knights of Bahá’u’lláh: Elsie Austin and Muhammad-‘Alí Jalálí arrive in Tangier, Morocco; Luella McKay, John and Erleta Fleming, and Alyce Janssen arrive in Spanish Morocco.
- 1985: The Universal House of Justice addresses a statement to the peoples of the world, The Promise of World Peace, on the theme of universal peace.
- 1992: The first Bahá'í Autumn School of Central Asia is held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, attended by more than 200 Bahá'ís and many others.
- 1993: The India Hindi Bahá'í Academy, a national institute for higher learning of the Bahá'í Faith, is established in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
- 1997: The International Environment Forum was launched at the first International Bahá'í Environment Conference in de Poort, Netherlands.
- 1912: `Abdu'l-Bahá leaves San Francisco for Sacramento, arriving at noon the same day.
- 1939: John Eichenauer, the first pioneer to El Salvador, arrives in San Salvador. At 17 years old, he is the youngest pioneer to arise during the First Seven Year Plan.
- 1992: Prince Alfred von Lichtenstein tours ten cities in Japan, delivering memorial lectures celebrating the centenary of the Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh.
- 1967: Catherine Huxtable, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to the Gulf Islands, passes away.
- 1912: `Abdu'l-Bahá leaves Sacramento for Denver.
- 1928: The case of the House of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdád is taken before the League of Nations, where the right of the Bahá’ís to the House is upheld. Despite this decision, the House is not returned to the Bahá’ís.
- 1942: Marion Lord Maxwell (‘Miss Mac’) becomes a Bahá’í, the first Jamaican to accept the Faith.
- 1941: Dr. Farzam Arbab, member of the Universal House of Justice, is born.
- 1904: Ali Kuli Khan marries Florence Breed, the first marriage between a Persian and a Western Bahá'í.
- 1912: `Abdu'l-Bahá arrives in Denver at midnight.
- 2014: Shamel Bina, a Bahá'í from Ahvaz, Iran, passes away. His body is held in the morgue for two months due to local officials' refusal to allow his burial.
- 1953: Knights of Bahá’u’lláh: Gladys Irene Parke and Gretta Stevens Lamprill arrive in Papeete in the Society Islands, French Polynesia; Opal Jensen arrives on Réunion Island.
- 1993: The founding conference of the Association for Bahá'í Studies in Russia is held in St. Petersburg.
- 2005: A letter is sent from the Iranian military headquarters to various Revolutionary Guard and police forces, instructing them to identify and monitor Bahá'ís in Iran.
- 2010: After three years, restoration work on the Riḍván Garden, some two kilometers southeast of the old city of Acre, is completed.
- 1868: Christoph Hoffman, founder of the Templers, and Georg David Hardegg, his principal lieutenant, land in Haifa to establish a colony there. Bahá'u'lláh would later stay in the houses of the colony on several occasions.
- 1898: Díyá'u'lláh passes away.
- 1912: `Abdu'l-Bahá leaves Denver for Chicago.
- 1853: Some 600 female and 80 to 180 male Bábís are taken prisoner at Nayríz and marched to Shíráz, along with the heads of some 180 martyrs, fulfilling an Islamic prophecy concerning the appearance of the Qá'im.
- 1868: Nabíl-i-A‘ẓam (pictured) enters `Akká in disguise, but is recognized; after three days, he is thrown out of the city. He spends the next four months wandering about Haifa, Mount Carmel and the Galilee waiting for another opportunity to enter `Akká.
- 1925: Ahmad Sháh is deposed and the Qájár dynasty terminated.
- 1962: Fourteen imprisoned Bahá’ís in Morocco are arraigned before a regional court, being accused of rebellion and disorder, attacks on public security, constituting an association of criminals and attacks on religious faith.
- 1975: The government of Uganda affirms that the practice of the Bahá’í Faith is not prohibited in the country.
Today in Bahá’í History
Selected anniversaries of events in Bahá’í history.
January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Bahá - Jalál - Jamál - ‘Aẓamat - Núr - Raḥmat - Kalimát - Kamál - Asmá’ - ‘Izzat - Mashíyyat - ‘Ilm - Qudrat - Qawl - Masá’il - Sharaf - Sulṭán - Mulk - Ayyám-i-Há - ‘Alá’
Today in History editing guidelines - Purge cache
It is now 04:08 on Friday, December 12, 2025 (UTC)
Selected anniversaries for November[edit]
- 1845: The Times of London carries an item on the arrest and torture of Quddús, Mullá Sádiq-i-Khurásání, Mullá `Alí-Akbar-i-Ardistání and Mullá Abú-Tálib in Shíráz in June. This is the first known printed reference to the Revelation.
- 1861: Hand of the Cause of God Corinne True is born.
- 1871: Lua Getsinger, Disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá, Herald of the Covenant and Mother Teacher of the West (pictured), is born.
- 1958: The monument marking Shoghi Effendi’s resting place is completed. Dust from the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh is placed in the foundations.
- 2008: The first of 41 Regional Conferences, which are held over a four month period to mark the mid-point of the Five Year Plan, is held in Lusaka, Zambia.
- 1901: John Robarts, prominent Canadian Bahá’í and Hand of the Cause of God, is born.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks in Chicago's Hotel Plaza, as well as the Englewood and Congregational churches; in the evening, He attends a Nineteen Day Feast at the home of Mrs. Davis.
- 1957: Shoghi Effendi passes away, having left no children and appointed no successor as Guardian.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks in Cincinatti's Grand Hotel; a banquet is prepared in His honor.
- 1957: Ruhiyyih Khanum cables all National Spiritual Assemblies advising them of the funeral of Shoghi Effendi.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks in Cincinatti's Grand Hotel. At noon, He leaves for Washington D.C., where He speaks at the Universalist Church in the afternoon.
- 1914: Agnes Alexander (pictured) arrives in Japan.
- 1919: John Esslemont meets ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for the first time. Due to poor health, he is unable to attend many of His talks.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá offers two talks in the home of Mrs. Parsons in Washington D.C.
- 1959: From their third Conclave, the Hands of the Cause announce plans for the election of the Universal House of Justice on April 21, 1963, as well as the election of the International Baha'i Council at Riḍván 1961.
- 2018: The Bahá’í community of Spain co-organizes a conference on the causes of and responses to violent radicalization.
- 1911: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks at L'Alliance Spiritualiste in St. Germain, Paris.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá offers two talks at the home of Mrs. Parsons in Washington D.C. Later in the day, He attends the first Bahá’í interracial banquet, where He presents everyone with flowers and sweets.
- 1957: The funeral of the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, takes place in New Southgate, London at 2 PM (monument pictured).
- 1911: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks at 15, rue Greuze in Paris.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks at several venues in Washington D.C., including the homes of Mrs. Parsons and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hannen.
- 1957: Ruhiyyih Khanum cables the Bahá’í world to ask for memorials in memory of Shoghi Effendi, to be held on November 18th.
- 1911: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks at 15, rue Greuze in Paris.
- 1912: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá leaves Washington D.C. by train through Baltimore and Philadelphia to New York City. He addresses a number of people at each stop along the way.
- 2000: Hassan Sabri passes away. He was instrumental in establishing the Office for Social and Economic Development at the Bahá’í World Centre.
- 1817: Bahá’u’lláh, known as Mírzá Husayn Alí, is born to the family of Mírzá Buzurg, a Persian nobleman and minister to Fath Ali Sháh.
- 1936: Peter Khan, member of the Universal House of Justice, is born.
- 1955: Valíyu'lláh Varqá, Hand of the Cause and trustee of Ḥuqúqu'lláh, passes away.
- 1986: Hand of the Cause of God Dhikru'lláh Khádem passes away.
- 1874: Hand of the Cause William Sutherland Maxwell is born.
- 2018: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas is translated into Cebuano for the first time.
- 1944: God Passes By, a history of the first century of the Bábí and Bahá’í Faiths and the only full-sized book by Shoghi Effendi, is published.
- 1955: ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá (pictured) is appointed a Hand of the Cause to succeed his father.
- 1957: Following the funeral of Shoghi Effendi, five Hands of the Cause enter his apartment, which had been previously locked and secured. They secure his personal safe and desk drawers, in preparation for a thorough search for his Will.
- 2008: Three of a series of 41 regional conferences of the Five Year Plan take place: One in Bangui, Central African Republic, another in Bangalore, India, and another in Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- 2018: Shapoor Monadjem, former member of the International Teaching Center and Brazil's National Spiritual Assembly, dies.
- 1942: Manuel Bergés Chupani, of Sánchez, Dominican Republic, becomes a Bahá’í, perhaps the first native Dominican person to accept the Faith.
- 1962: The superstructure of the Baha'i House of Worship near Frankfurt is completed, and the Temple is turned over to the Bahá’ís by the contractor.
- 1984: Shu‘á‘u’lláh ‘Alá’í, Hand of the Cause of God, dies in Scottsdale, Arizona.
- 1930: Ethel Rosenberg, Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘England’s outstanding Bahá’í pioneer worker’, dies in London.
- 1947: Palle Benemann Bischoff becomes the first Dane living in Denmark to accept the Bahá’í Faith.
- 1957: The first conclave of the Hands of the Cause of God is convened at Bahjí; this is the first meeting of the Hands of the Cause as a group. A memorial meeting for Shoghi Effendi is held in the Haram-i-Aqdas, coinciding with more gatherings around the world by request of Ruhiyyih Khanum.
- 1960: Clara Dunn, Hand of the Cause of God, dies in Sydney, Australia.
- 1980: Death of Hand of the Cause, Abu'l-Qásim Faizi
- 2018: The Bahá’í International Community participates in the second annual Arab Sustainable Development Week in Cairo, Egypt.
- 1960: The cornerstone of the Baha'i House of Worship in Langenhain, Germany, is laid by Hand of the Cause of God Amelia Collins.
- 1958: The Second Conclave of the Hands of the Cause convenes at Bahjí; the Hands call for the election of the Universal House of Justice at the time of the Most Great Jubilee in 1963.
- 1925: Death of Hand of the Cause and Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá John Esslemont.
- 1985: The Promise of World Peace is presented to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Javier Perez de Cuellar, by Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum and representatives of the Bahá’í International Community.
- 1992: The Bahá'í Faith is mentioned in the media of Mozambique for the first time.
- 2008: Four out of a series of 41 regional conferences of the Five Year Plan take place in Quito, New Delhi, Kolkata, and Lubumbashi.
- 1912: A farewell banquet is held for `Abdu'l-Bahá at the Great Northern Hotel in New York City; sadly, the hotel does not allow the black Bahá’ís to attend.
- 1932: George Adam Benke dies in Sofia, Bulgaria. Shoghi Effendi calls him the first European martyr.
- 1963: At the request of the Universal House of Justice, Bahá’ís around the world pray at the Feast of Qawl for Bahá’ís imprisoned in Morocco. Shortly after the Feast the Moroccan Supreme Court heard the appeals, reversed the decision of the trial court and ordered the release of the prisoners.
- 1992: The Second Bahá’í World Congress (pictured) begins in New York City.
- 1853: Prisoners from Nayríz arrive in Shíráz, carrying the heads of Bábí martyrs. More Bábís are executed, and their heads are sent to Tihrán. The heads are later buried at Ábádih.
- 1912: A dinner is held at the Kinney home in New York City, at which `Abdu'l-Bahá and the white Bahá'ís serve the black Bahá'ís.
- 2004: The restoration of the prison citadel that was occupied by Bahá'u'lláh and His family upon their arrival in Akká is completed (Bahá'u'lláh's prison cell pictured).
- 1909: Dr. Susan Moody arrives in Tehran. She establishes Sehat Hospital along with four Persian Bahá'í doctors.
- 1957: The Hands of the Cause issue a unanimous proclamation to the Baha'i world stating that Shoghi Effendi had left no Will and Testament, and announcing the appointment of nine Custodians who would act on behalf of the Baha'i World Faith until such time as the Universal House of Justice could be elected.
- 1985: The Promise of World Peace is presented to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar.
- 1972: Adoption of the Constitution of the Universal House of Justice
- 1992: The Second Bahá’í World Congress (pictured) ends in New York City.
- 2003: Death of Hand of the Cause ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan
- 1929: The Mansion of Bahjí, in a state of decay after years of neglect, is evacuated by the Covenant-breakers.
- 1938: In a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the British Isles, Shoghi Effendi outlines the attitudes and obligations of Bahá’ís regarding military service.
- 1976: An International Teaching Conference is held in Hong Kong, attended by 506 Bahá’ís.
- 2005: Death of prolific author and founding member of the Association for Bahá’í Studies, William S. Hatcher (pictured).
- 1902: Commencement of the construction of the of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of 'Ishqábád.
- 1921: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passes away in Haifa; in His Will and Testament, He appoints Shoghi Effendi as Guardian of the Faith.
- 1900: Hájí Hasan-i-Khurásání and Mírzá Asadu'lláh-i-Isfahání arrive in the United States to assist the Bahá'ís to deepen their knowledge of their Faith.
- 1912: `Abdu'l-Bahá speaks in the Kinney home in New York City.
- 2008: Three out of a series of 41 regional conferences of the Five Year Plan take place in Antofagasta (pictured), Manila, and Yaoundé.
- 1951: Shoghi Effendi announces plans for the Great Jubilee commemorating the centenary of the birth of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh in the Síyáh-Chál.
- 1988: The Bahá’í International Community is elected Secretary of the Board of the ‘Conference on Non-Governmental Organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations’ for the period 1988–91.
- 1990: The First National Teaching Conference of the Bahá'ís of Romania was held near Poiana Brasov, in the Carpathian mountains.
Today in Bahá’í History
Selected anniversaries of events in Bahá’í history.
January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Bahá - Jalál - Jamál - ‘Aẓamat - Núr - Raḥmat - Kalimát - Kamál - Asmá’ - ‘Izzat - Mashíyyat - ‘Ilm - Qudrat - Qawl - Masá’il - Sharaf - Sulṭán - Mulk - Ayyám-i-Há - ‘Alá’
Today in History editing guidelines - Purge cache
It is now 04:08 on Friday, December 12, 2025 (UTC)
Selected anniversaries for December[edit]
- 1863: Bahá'u'lláh and His companions leave Constantinople for a twelve-day journey to Adrianople, in freezing weather.
- 1866: Bahá’í pioneer Marion Jack, known affectionately as ‘General Jack' for her services to the Bahá'í community, is born in Saint John, New Brunswick.
- 2005: Kessai Note, president of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, pays an official visit to the Bahá'í World Centre.
- 2011: Ian C. Semple, former member of the Universal House of Justice (pictured), passes away in Switzerland.
- 2011: Johnson Toribiong, president of the Republic of Palau, pays an official visit to the Bahá'í World Centre.
- 1911: `Abdu'l-Bahá returns to Egypt following His first visit to Europe.
- 1928: Birth of Universal House of Justice member Ian Semple.
- 1957: Title to the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh (pictured), the Mansion of Bahjí, and all other buildings and lands which the Covenant-breakers had owned there are transfered to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States.
- 1957: In order to secure their legal recognition following Shoghi Effendi's sudden passing, the Custodians ask each National and Regional Assembly to send a letter recognizing them as the supreme body of the Bahá'í Faith.
- 1899: Charles Mason Remey becomes a Bahá'í in Paris through May Bolles.
- 1939: Shoghi Effendi obtains permission from the British authorities in Palestine to reinter the bodies of Navváb and the Purest Branch on Mount Carmel.
- 1982: Paul Haney, Hand of the Cause of God and member of the Custodians (pictured), dies in Haifa in an automobile accident.
- 2001: The murder of Mosadegh Afshin Shokoufeh in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. It was determined that he was killed for his religious beliefs.
- 2013: Yemeni Baha’i Hamed bin Haydara is arbitrarily arrested at his workplace.
- 1912: `Abdu'l-Bahá addresses His last public meeting in North America, at the Theosophical Society in New York City.
- 1973: The Universal House of Justice announces the completion of the final, south-western quadrant of the gardens at Bahjí.
- 1913: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returned to Haifa from His historic journeys to the West.
- 2012: Members of government in the United Kingdom welcome more than 80 Baha’is to a special reception in London to pay tribute to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 100 years after His visit to Britain.
- 1934: The Tarbíyat Bahá’í Schools in Tihrán are closed by the authorities when they fail to open on a holy day.
- 2008: Four out of a series of 41 regional conferences of the Five Year Plan take place; three are held in the United States (in Portland, Chicago, and Atlanta), and one in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
- 1953: Jalál Kháḍih (pictured) is appointed a Hand of the Cause of God after the passing of Hand of the Cause of God Siegfried Schopflocher.
- 1961: An article appears in the nationally prominent Moroccan newspaper Al Alam lamenting the decline of Islám and attacking the Bahá’í Faith. This gives rise to persecution of the Bahá’ís in ensuing months.
- 1986: Radio Bahá’í Liberia, the first Bahá’í radio station in Africa, makes its test broadcast.
- 2010: In an open letter to the head of Iran's Judiciary, the Bahá'í International Community contrasted the country's persecution of Bahá'ís with Iran's own call for Muslim minorities to be treated fairly in other countries.
- 1939: Margaret Lentz, a German stenographer, becomes the first Bahá’í to settle in the Dominican Republic.
- 1953: Loretta and Carl Scherer arrive in Macau and are named Knights of Bahá’u’lláh for that island.
- 1988: The General Assembly of the United Nations (pictured) adopts a resolution concerning human rights in Iran which specifically mentions the suffering of the Bahá’ís.
- 1990: The first All-Union Bahá'í Consultative Conference was held in Moscow, attended by Bahá'ís from every part of the Soviet Union, members of three Continental Boards of Counsellors, and representatives of all National Spiritual Assemblies having responsibility for the work of the Faith in that area.
- 1993: In Iran, death sentences are pronounced against two Bahá'ís on the grounds of their membership in the Bahá'í community.
- 1909: Birth of Gertrude Blum, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to the Solomon Islands.
- 1959: Hand of the Cause Shu'á'u'lláh ‘Alá'í visits Macau.
- 1898: Arrival of the first group of Western pilgrims in 'Akká.
- 1922: Formation of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Canada, in Montreal.
- 1964: Death of Alyce Janssen, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to Spanish Morocco.
- 1902: The cornerstone of the Bahá'í House of Worship in 'Ishqabad is laid.
- 2004: Jubilee celebrations begin in Kigali, Rwanda, marking 50 years of the establishment of the Bahá'í Faith in Rwanda.
- 1844: The Báb arrives in Mecca and performs the rites of pilgrimage in company with 100,000 other pilgrims.
- 1863: Bahá’u’lláh and His companions arrive in Adrianople (Bahá’u’lláh's house pictured), marking the furthest point from Persia that Bahá’u’lláh would ever reach.
- 1939: The Bahá’ís of Caracas, Venezuela, hold their first Nineteen Day Feast and afterwards elect a ‘Provisional Assembly’.
- 1947: Valeria Lamb Nicols, the first Bahá'í pioneer to Portugal, arrives from a pioneer post in Denmark.
- 2000: The 4th Annual Conference of the International Environment Forum (IEF) is held in Orlando, Florida.
- 1963: All Bahá’í prisoners of "The Moroccan Case" were set free by decision of the Moroccan Supreme Court after some twenty months.
- 1981: Eight members of Iran's National Spiritual Assembly are arrested at their meeting in the home of a local Bahá’í. They are sent for a closed trial and secretly executed within 14 days.
- 1985: For the first time, the United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution on human rights that specifically mentions the situation of the Bahá’ís of Iran.
- 2008: Three among a series of 41 regional conferences of the Five Year Plan take place in Stamford, Dallas, and Los Angeles.
- 1871: Albert Schwarz, Disciple of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, is born.
- 1912: 'Abdu'l-Bahá speaks at the Theosophical Society in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
- 1931: The National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada writes to the prime minister of Egypt, drawing to his attention the persecution of the Egyptian Bahá'í community.
- 1863: Bahá'u'lláh moves to a house in the Murádíyyih quarter of Adrianople for one week. During His stay, he reveals the Kitáb-i-Badi' and Súriy-i-Mulúk (Tablet to the Kings).
- 1978: A cabled message is sent to 93 National Spiritual Assemblies, stating that the Bahá’ís in Iran and the Holy Places in Tehran and Shíráz are in peril.
- 1989: A World Forestry Charter Gathering takes place in London, commemorating the centenary of the birth of Bahá’í environmentalist Richard St. Barbe Baker, who founded the Gatherings in 1945.
- 1853: Mírzá Muhammad ‘Alí, half-brother of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is born. He would later become known as the Arch-breaker of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh.
- 2006: The Supreme Administrative Council of Egypt rules that the government may not recognize the Bahá’í Faith in official identification cards.
- 1919: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sends a tablet outlining the Bahá’í peace program to the Central Organization for a Durable Peace in The Hague.
- 2000: The First International Conference on Modern Religions and Religious Movements in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the Babi and Baha'i Faiths, co-sponsored by the Chair in Baha'i Studies at the Hebrew University and Landegg Academy, begins.
- 2017: Hartmut Grossmann, member of the Universal House of Justice from 2003 to 2008, dies.
- 1912: E. G. Browne visits `Abdu'l-Bahá in London.
- 1988: Borrah Kavelin, former member of the first Universal House of Justice, dies in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
- 1989: Participants from 12 countries, including East Germany, Romania, Hungary and the Soviet Union, gather for the first time since the Second World War, at a winter school in Traben-Trarbach.
- 1989: West Berlin Bahá’í communities are joined by 26 Bahá’ís from six European countries and the United States in proclamation and teaching activities among East Germans. More than 50,000 copies of a shortened version of The Promise of World Peace and other Bahá’í materials are distributed at four major border check-points in West Berlin and at the Brandenburg Gate.
- 1953: Yankee Leong, the first Baha'i of Malaya, declares in Seremban.
- 1844: As part of His pilgrimage in Mecca, the Báb offers 19 lambs as a sacrifice, distributing the meat to the poor and needy. Around this time, He publicly declares His mission, repeating three times that He is the Qá’im while standing at the Ka‘bih. He also invites the Sharíf of Mecca to embrace His Revelation, but the Sharíf is too busy to respond.
- 1920: Construction begins on the House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.
- 2018: Afif Naeimi is released from prison after serving an unjust ten-year sentence.
- 1898: Dorothy Baker, Hand of the Cause of God, is born.
- 1927: Frank Wyss, Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for the Cocos Islands, is born.
- 1943: Alma Knobloch, founding member of the Bahá'í communities of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, dies.
- 1863: Bahá'u'lláh moves again to a house in the Murádíyyih quarter of Adrianople, staying about six months. During His stay, he reveals the Lawh-i-Ru'ya, Súriy-i-Amr, and the Súriy-i-Damm.
- 1918: Ahmad Sohrab, one of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's secretaries, is sent to the United States to deliver the Tablets of the Divine Plan.
- 1922: Shoghi Effendi writes his first letter to the newly elected National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada.
- 1951: Roy Wilhelm is appointed to the rank of Hand of the Cause by Shoghi Effendi.
- 1939: The remains of Navváb and Mírzá Mihdí are laid in state in the Shrine of the Báb.
- 1951: Shoghi Effendi appoints a first contingent of twelve Hands of the Cause: Dorothy Baker, Amelia Collins, 'Ali-Akbar Furutan, Ugo Giachery, Hermann Grossmann, Horace Holley, Leroy Ioas, William Sutherland Maxwell, Tarazu'llah Samandari, George Townshend, and Valíyu'lláh Varqá.
- 1986: The Indian House of Worship in New Delhi (also known as the Lotus Temple) is dedicated.
- 1938: Shoghi Effendi writes the letter subsequently published as The Advent of Divine Justice to the "beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout the United States and Canada".
- 1939: The remains of Navváb and Mírzá Mihdí are reinterred together in the Bahá'í Monument Gardens on Mount Carmel.
- 1957: The Hands of the Cause cable the Bahá'í world, announcing the demolition of the house adjacent to the Mansion of Bahjí which had been occupied by Covenant-breakers.
- 1967: Knight of Bahá’u’lláh Charles Dunning passes away.
- 2016: The Bahá’í International Community presents a statement, New Patterns of Community Life in an Urbanizing World, at the UN's Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador.
- 1901: Agnes Alexander arrives in Hawaii, becoming the first Bahá'í pioneer to settle there.
- 1912: 'Abdu'l-Bahá speaks at 97 Cadogan Gardens, London, on the subjects of prayer, evil, and the progress of the soul.
- 1995: The Universal House of Justice addresses a message to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, providing details of the upcoming Four Year Plan for 1996–2000.
- 1981: Fourteen days after their arrest, eight members of Iran's National Spiritual Assembly are secretly executed by a firing squad.
- 2005: The Universal House of Justice addresses a message to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, providing details of the upcoming Five Year Plan for 2006–2011.
- 2010: The Universal House of Justice addresses a message to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, providing details of the upcoming Five Year Plan for 2011–2016.
- 1979: Death of Rahmatu'lláh Muhájir, Hand of the Cause of God and Knight of Bahá’u’lláh (pictured).
- 2015: The Universal House of Justice addresses a message to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, providing details of the upcoming Five Year Plan for 2016–2021.
Bahaipedia:Today in History/December 30 view - talk - edit
- 1843: Siyyid Káẓim-i-Rashtí, the successor of Shaykh Aḥmad-i-Aḥsá’í and leader of the Shaykhí movement, passes away in Karbalá. Designating no successor, he calls on his disciples to spread out in search of the Promised Qá’im.
Today in Bahá’í History
Selected anniversaries of events in Bahá’í history.
January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Bahá - Jalál - Jamál - ‘Aẓamat - Núr - Raḥmat - Kalimát - Kamál - Asmá’ - ‘Izzat - Mashíyyat - ‘Ilm - Qudrat - Qawl - Masá’il - Sharaf - Sulṭán - Mulk - Ayyám-i-Há - ‘Alá’
Today in History editing guidelines - Purge cache
It is now 04:08 on Friday, December 12, 2025 (UTC)
Table Of Contents
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1.1 Today's anniversaries
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2.2 Selected anniversaries for January
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3.3 Selected anniversaries for February
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4.4 Selected anniversaries for March
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5.5 Selected anniversaries for April
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6.6 Selected anniversaries for May
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7.7 Selected anniversaries for June
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8.8 Selected anniversaries for July
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9.9 Selected anniversaries for August
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10.10 Selected anniversaries for September
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11.11 Selected anniversaries for October
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12.12 Selected anniversaries for November
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13.13 Selected anniversaries for December