Bahaipedia:Today in History/December
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 06:34 on Friday, December 12, 2025 (UTC)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 1953: Yankee Leong, the first Baha'i of Malaya, declares in Seremban.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 1943: Alma Knobloch, founding member of the Bahá'í communities of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, dies.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
December 30: Bahaipedia:Today in History/December 30
(view edit talk links history)
- 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.
(view edit talk links history)
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 06:34 on Friday, December 12, 2025 (UTC)