Hasan al-Kharrat (1861–1925) was a rebel commander of the Great Syrian
Revolt against the French Mandate, operating mainly in Damascus and its
Ghouta countryside. As the qabaday (local youths boss) of the al-
Shaghour quarter of Damascus, he was connected with Nasib al-Bakri, a
nationalist from the quarter's most influential family. At al-Bakri's
invitation, he joined the revolt in August 1925 and recruited a group of
fighters in and around al-Shaghour. He led the rebel assault against
Damascus, briefly capturing the residence of French High-Commissioner
Maurice Sarrail before withdrawing amid heavy bombardment. Towards the
end of 1925, relations grew tense between al-Kharrat and other rebel
leaders, particularly Sa'id al-'As and Ramadan al-Shallash, and they
traded accusations of plundering villages or strong-arming local
inhabitants. Al-Kharrat continued to lead forays in the Ghouta, where he
was ultimately killed in a French ambush. The revolt dissipated by 1927,
but he gained a lasting reputation as a martyr of the Syrian resistance
to French rule.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_al-Kharrat>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1862:
American astronomer Alvan Graham Clark first observed the faint
white dwarf companion of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius>
1900:
Datu Muhammad Salleh, leader of a series of major disturbances
in North Borneo, was shot dead in Tambunan, but his followers did not
give up for five more years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mat_Salleh_Rebellion>
1945:
Second World War: The British 3rd Commando Brigade's victory in
the Battle of Hill 170 was crucial in causing the 28th Japanese Army to
withdraw from the Arakan peninsula of Burma.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hill_170>
2000:
Alaska Airlines Flight 261, experiencing problems with its
horizontal stabilizer system, crashed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast
of California's Anacapa Island, killing all 88 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Airlines_Flight_261>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
roughshod:
1. (farriery) Of a horse: having hooves shod with calks or horseshoes that
have projecting nails to prevent slipping.
2. (by extension) Often in ride roughshod over: brutal or domineering.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/roughshod>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
We move from part to whole and back again, and in that dance of
comprehension, in that amazing circle of understanding, we come alive to
meaning, to value, and to vision: the very circle of understanding
guides our way, weaving together the pieces, healing the fractures,
mending the torn and tortured fragments, lighting the way ahead — this
extraordinary movement from part to whole and back again, with healing
the hallmark of each and every step, and grace the tender reward.
--Ken Wilber
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ken_Wilber>