Muhammad I (1195–1273) was the first ruler of the Emirate of Granada, the last independent Muslim state on the Iberian Peninsula. In the 1230s he took power in his native Arjona and gained control over Spain's southern cities, including Granada, Almería and Málaga. Settling in Granada, he became the most powerful Muslim leader in the peninsula. Under attack from Castile, he was forced to become a vassal of Ferdinand III in 1246. A peace with Castile followed until 1264 when Muhammad participated in an unsuccessful rebellion of their newly conquered Muslim subjects. In 1266 his former allies, the Banu Ashqilula, rebelled against him with help from Castile. This conflict was still unresolved in 1273 when he died after falling off his horse. The emirate was finally annexed by Castile in 1492. The Alhambra, a well-preserved palace and fortress complex that Muhammad initiated, is a World Heritage site.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_I_of_Granada

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1940:

Second World War: Coventry Cathedral (ruins pictured) and much of the city centre of Coventry, England, were destroyed by the Luftwaffe during the Coventry Blitz. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_Blitz

1960:

Ruby Bridges and the McDonogh Three became the first black children to attend an all-white elementary school in Louisiana as part of the New Orleans school desegregation crisis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_school_desegregation_crisis

1975:

With the signing of the Madrid Accords, Spain agreed to withdraw its presence from the territory of Spanish Sahara. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid_Accords

1990:

Germany and Poland signed the German–Polish Border Treaty, confirming their border at the Oder–Neisse line, which was originally defined by the Potsdam Agreement in 1945. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German%E2%80%93Polish_Border_Treaty_%281990%29

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

fruiterer: (Britain) One who sells fruit. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fruiterer

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

We talk about a secular state in India. It is perhaps not very easy even to find a good word in Hindi for "secular". Some people think it means something opposed to religion. That obviously is not correct. What it means is that it is state which honours all faiths equally and gives them equal opportunities; that, as a state, it does not allow itself to be attached to one faith or religion, which then becomes the state religion.   --Jawaharlal Nehru https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jawaharlal_Nehru