Zenobia (c. 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Syrian- based Palmyrene Empire. Her husband Odaenathus became king in 260, and elevated Palmyra to supreme power in the Near East by defeating the Sassanians and stabilizing the Roman East. After his assassination, she became the regent of her son Vaballathus and held de facto power throughout his reign. In 270, Zenobia launched an invasion which brought most of the Roman East under her sway, culminating with the annexation of Egypt. In reaction to Roman emperor Aurelian's campaign in 272, Zenobia declared Palmyra's secession from Rome, naming her son emperor and assuming the title of empress. The Romans were victorious after heavy fighting; the queen was besieged in her capital and captured by Aurelian. He exiled her to Rome, where she spent the remainder of her life. Zenobia fostered a multicultural and intellectual environment in her court, which was open to scholars and philosophers. Many tales have been recorded about her fate. Her rise and fall have inspired historians, artists and novelists, and she is a national hero in Syria.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1430:

Hundred Years' War: Joan of Arc was captured at the Siege of Compiègne. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Compi%C3%A8gne

1844:

Siyyid `Alí-Muhammad Shírází proclaimed that he was "the Báb", after a Shia religious concept, marking the beginning of the Bábí movement, the forerunner of the Bahá'í Faith. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1bism

1934:

During a strike against the Electric Auto-Lite company in Toledo, Ohio, a mob of nearly 10,000 began a riot and a five-day running battle with the Ohio National Guard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-Lite_strike

1951:

Delegates of the 14th Dalai Lama and the government of the newly established People's Republic of China signed the Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, affirming Chinese sovereignty over Tibet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventeen_Point_Agreement_for_the_Peaceful_Liberation_of_Tibet

2008:

To resolve a 29-year-old territorial dispute, the International Court of Justice awarded Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca to Singapore. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedra_Branca_dispute

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

defenestration: 1. The act of throwing something or someone out of a window. 2. (Britain) The high-profile removal of a person from an organization. 3. (computing, neologism, humorous) The act of removing the Microsoft Windows operating system from a computer in order to install an alternative one. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/defenestration

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

To one who has enjoyed the full life of any scene, of any hour, what thoughts can be recorded about it, seem like the commas and semicolons in the paragraph, mere stops.   --Margaret Fuller https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Fuller