Demetrius III Eucaerus was a Seleucid ruler who reigned as King of
Syria between 96 and 87 BC. He was a son of Antiochus VIII and, most
likely, his Egyptian wife Tryphaena. After his father was assassinated
in 96 BC, Demetrius III took control of Damascus. In 89 BC, he
invaded Judaea and crushed the forces of its king, Alexander Jannaeus.
By 87 BC, Demetrius III had most of Syria under his authority. He
attempted to appease the public by promoting the importance of the local
Semitic gods, and he might have given Damascus the dynastic name
Demetrias. By late 87 BC, Demetrius III attacked his brother, and
rival to the throne, Philip I, in the city of Beroea, where Philip I's
allies called on the Parthians for help. The allied forces routed
Demetrius III and besieged him in his camp; he was forced to surrender
and spent the rest of his life in exile in Parthia. Philip I took
Antioch, while Antiochus XII, another brother of Demetrius III, took
Damascus.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demetrius_III_Eucaerus>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1882:
The Shewan army defeated Gojjame forces at the Battle of
Embabo, an event that contributed to the supremacy of Shewa within the
Ethiopian Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Embabo>
1912:
The largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century began,
forming Novarupta (lava dome pictured) in the Alaska Peninsula.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novarupta>
1944:
World War II: The largest amphibious military operation in
history began with Allied troops landing on the beaches of Normandy in
France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings>
1984:
Tetris, one of the best-selling video games of all time, was
first released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
polemology:
The study of human conflict and war.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/polemology>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day
of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great,
I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As
we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of
prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts. Give us
strength, too — strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the
contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our
armed forces. And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long
travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our
sons wheresoever they may be.
--Franklin D. Roosevelt
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt>
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