The Second Fitna was a civil war in the Islamic community that began with the death of Mu'awiya I in 680. The first Umayyad caliph, he had become the sole ruler of the caliphate at the end of the First Fitna in 661, when Ali was assassinated and Ali's successor abdicated. After Mu'awiya's death one of Ali's sons, Husayn ibn Ali, was invited to overthrow the Umayyads but was killed with his small company at the Battle of Karbala. His supporters continued the fight but were crushed by the Umayyads at the Battle of Ayn al-Warda in 685. A second challenge by Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr was initially successful, as most provinces recognized him as caliph. Under the leadership of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (depiction shown), the Umayyads reasserted control over the caliphate after defeating Ibn al-Zubayr's forces at the Battle of Maskin and killing him in the Siege of Mecca in 692. The events of the Second Fitna intensified sectarian tendencies in Islam, leading to what would become the Sunni and Shi'a sects.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1885:

Construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the first transcontinental railroad across Canada, concluded with the driving of the "last spike" in Craigellachie, British Columbia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Spike_%28Canadian_Pacific_Railway%29

1916:

In the congressional elections, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to the United States House of Representatives. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeannette_Rankin

1949:

Oil was discovered in the Caspian Sea off the coast of Azerbaijan, leading to the construction of Neft Daşları, the world's first offshore oil platform. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neft_Da%C5%9Flar%C4%B1

1987:

Singapore's first Mass Rapid Transit line was opened (train pictured), beginning with train services between Yio Chu Kang and Toa Payoh stations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Rapid_Transit_%28Singapore%29

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

where there is a will there is a way: If someone wants or wills something strongly enough, a way can be found to make it happen. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/where_there_is_a_will_there_is_a_way

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

This heart within me I can feel, and I judge that it exists. This world I can touch, and I likewise judge that it exists. There ends all my knowledge, and the rest is construction. For if I try to seize this self of which I feel sure, if I try to define and to summarize it, it is nothing but water slipping through my fingers. I can sketch one by one all the aspects it is able to assume, all those likewise that have been attributed to it, this upbringing, this origin, this ardor or these silences, this nobility or this vileness. But aspects cannot be added up. This very heart which is mine will forever remain indefinable to me. Between the certainty I have of my existence and the content I try to give to that assurance, the gap will never be filled. Forever I shall be a stranger to myself.   --Albert Camus https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Camus