Muhammad III (1257–1314) was the Nasrid ruler of the Emirate of
Granada in Al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula from 1302 until 1309. He
built upon the military successes of his father Muhammad II against
Castile, and expanded Granada's territory by capturing Bedmar in 1303. A
treaty with Castile the following year recognised Granada's conquests in
return for Muhammad's pledge of fealty and tribute to King
Ferdinand IV. In 1306, Muhammad conquered Ceuta in North Africa,
putting Granada in control of both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar. He
built the Alhambra's Great Mosque (destroyed in the sixteenth century by
Philip II), a nearby public bathhouse and the Partal Palace (pictured).
Poor sight eventually forced him to rely heavily on his advisors,
especially Ibn al-Hakim al-Rundi, his vizier, who became the de facto
ruler. Muhammad was deposed in a palace coup when Granada was on the
verge of a new war against Castile, Aragon, and the Marinids.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_III_of_Granada>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1910:
Prospectors drilled into a pressurized deposit within the
Midway-Sunset Oil Field in California, resulting in the largest
accidental oil spill in history, which eventually released 9 million
barrels (1.4 million m3) of crude oil over 18 months.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeview_Gusher>
1931:
Alam Ara, the first Indian sound film, premiered at the
Majestic Cinema in Bombay.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alam_Ara>
1972:
Italian publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, known for his
translation of Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago after it had been
smuggled out of the Soviet Union, died in a mysterious explosion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giangiacomo_Feltrinelli>
1973:
Vietnam War: After having been captured by North Vietnamese
forces five and a half years earlier, U.S. Navy pilot John McCain was
released with 108 other prisoners of war.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
Pi Day:
March 14th, an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Pi_Day>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is
comprehensible.
--Albert Einstein
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein>