Al-Mu'tadid (c. 857 – 5 April 902) was the Abbasid Caliph from 15 October 892 until his death. As a prince, he served under his father al- Muwaffaq during various military campaigns and helped suppress the Zanj Rebellion. As caliph, he restored to the Abbasid state some of the power it had lost during the turmoils of the previous decades. In a series of campaigns he recovered the provinces of Jazira, Thughur and Jibal, and effected a rapprochement with the Saffarids in the east and the Tulunids in the west. He brought the capital back to Baghdad, where he engaged in major building projects. He was a firm supporter of Sunni traditionalist orthodoxy, and notorious for his fiscal stringency and cruel punishments, but also interested in the learning and science that had flourished under his predecessors, promoting men like Thabit ibn Qurra, a mathematician and translator of Greek texts. His reign marks the last revival of the Abbasid empire before its terminal decline during the 10th century.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mu%27tadid

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1864:

American Civil War: Confederate forces captured Glasgow, Missouri, although it had little long-term benefit as Price's Missouri Expedition was defeated a week later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Glasgow,_Missouri

1982:

Ata'ollah Ashrafi Esfahani was assassinated by the People's Mujahedin of Iran during Friday prayers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ata%27ollah_Ashrafi_Esfahani

2003:

Shenzhou 5, China's first crewed space mission, was launched, carrying astronaut Yang Liwei. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhou_5

2011:

Global demonstrations against economic inequality (protests in Madrid pictured), corporate influence on government, and other issues, were held in more than 950 cities in 82 countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15_October_2011_global_protests

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

beg to differ: 1. (idiomatic) To offer an opposing opinion humbly. 2. (idiomatic) To differ (strongly) in interpretation or opinion. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/beg_to_differ

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Wealth, in even the most improbable cases, manages to convey the aspect of intelligence.   --John Kenneth Galbraith https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Kenneth_Galbraith