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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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