Fakhr al-Din II (c. 1572 – 1635) was the paramount Druze emir of
Mount Lebanon and the strongman over much of the Levant from the 1620s
to 1633. For uniting Lebanon's constituent communities, he is generally
regarded as the country's founder. Fakhr al-Din succeeded his father as
the emir of the Chouf mountains around 1591, and the Ottoman Empire gave
him control over other districts, but attacked him in 1613 for allying
with Tuscany. He escaped into exile but returned in 1618, resuming
control of his former domains and greatly expanding them in the
following years. Despite the empire being in a long economic crisis,
Fakhr al-Din's territories thrived. He promoted commercial agriculture,
focusing on the lucrative silk trade of Mount Lebanon. He surrendered
to the Ottomans during a siege of his Chouf hideout in 1633 and was
executed in Constantinople in 1635. His main enduring legacy is the
symbiotic relationship between Maronites and Druze, foundational for the
creation of a Lebanese state.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fakhr_al-Din_II>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1881:
Andrew Watson captained the Scotland national football team
against England, becoming the world's first black international
footballer.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Watson_%28footballer,_born_1856%29>
1934:
Supported by the Estonian army, Konstantin Päts staged a coup
d'état, beginning the Era of Silence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstantin_P%C3%A4ts>
1952:
British diplomat Lord Ismay was appointed the first secretary
general of NATO.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastings_Ismay,_1st_Baron_Ismay>
2014:
A gas leak caused an explosion in the East Harlem neighborhood
of New York City, destroying two apartment buildings and causing eight
deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_East_Harlem_gas_explosion>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
impostor syndrome:
(psychology) A psychological phenomenon in which a person is unable to
internalize his or her accomplishments, remaining convinced that he or
she does not deserve any accompanying success.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/impostor_syndrome>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
We — Russia — want to be a nation of peace. Alas, few people
would call us that now. But let's at least not become a nation of
frightened silent people. Of cowards who pretend not to notice the
aggressive war against Ukraine unleashed by our obviously insane czar.
I cannot, do not want and will not remain silent watching how pseudo-
historical nonsense about the events of 100 years ago has become an
excuse for Russians to kill Ukrainians, and for Ukrainians to kill
Russians while defending themselves. It's the third decade of the 21st
century, and we are watching news about people burning down in tanks and
bombed houses. We are watching real threats to start a nuclear war on
our TVs. I am from the USSR myself. I was born there. And the main
phrase from there — from my childhood — was "fight for peace." I
call on everyone to take to the streets and fight for peace.
--Alexei Navalny
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alexei_Navalny>
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