Khalid ibn al-Walid (died 642) was a commander under the Islamic prophet
Muhammad and the first two caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar. Before his
conversion to Islam, Khalid helped defeat the Muslims at the Battle of
Uhud in 625. After Khalid converted, Muhammad bestowed on him the title
Sayf Allah ('the Sword of God'). In 632, Khalid was appointed by Abu
Bakr to suppress or subjugate the tribes of central Arabia opposed to
the nascent Muslim state in the Ridda wars. He led the initial campaigns
in Sasanian Iraq in 633–634, before being deployed to lead the Muslim
conquest of Byzantine Syria. He reached Syria after a famed desert march
and led the decisive Muslim victory over the Byzantines at the Battle of
Yarmouk. Umar demoted Khalid around 636, but he continued military
service in Syria for about two more years. Though the Islamic tradition
lauds his command of the early conquests, Khalid's military fame
disturbed some early Muslims, including Umar, who feared it could
develop into a personality cult.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalid_ibn_al-Walid>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1936:
Nationalist rebels attempted a coup against the Second Spanish
Republic, sparking the Spanish Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_coup_of_July_1936>
1995:
Selena's album Dreaming of You, instrumental in popularizing
Tejano music, was released posthumously.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_of_You_%28Selena_album%29>
2012:
A suicide bomber attacked an Israeli tour bus at Burgas
Airport, Bulgaria, resulting in the military branch of Hezbollah being
designated a terrorist organization by the European Union.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Burgas_bus_bombing>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
on fleek:
1. Flawless; perfect; spot on.
2. Of an article of clothing or outfit: stylish and perfectly chosen or
put together.
3. Of eyebrows or hair: sleek and perfectly groomed or styled; well-
groomed.
4. (African-American Vernacular, slang) In a sleek or stylish manner;
sleekly, stylishly.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/on_fleek>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Democracy is based on the majority principle. This is especially
true in a country such as ours where the vast majority have been
systematically denied their rights. At the same time, democracy also
requires that the rights of political and other minorities be
safeguarded. In the political order we have established there will
regular, open and free elections, at all levels of government —
central, provincial and municipal. There shall also be a social order
which respects completely the culture, language and religious rights of
all sections of our society and the fundamental rights of the
individual. The task at hand on will not be easy. But you have
mandated us to change South Africa from a country in which the majority
lived with little hope, to one in which they can live and work with
dignity, with a sense of self-esteem and confidence in the future.
--Nelson Mandela
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela>