January 21 763: Thirteen years after coming to power, the Abbasids defeated the Alids at the Battle of Bakhamra, ending this challenge to their Caliphate. The Abbasid Dynasty lasted for approximately 500 and ruled an area extending from Central Asia o... »
January 14 83 BCE: Birthdate of Marcus Antonius, who is better known as Mark Antony (often pronounced Anthony). Mark Antony is credited by some with recognizing Herod as a Jewish leader and elevating him accordingly. Later, he would side w... »
January 2 438: Empress Eudocia, the wife of Byzantine Emperor Theodius II, who spent the last years of her life in the Holy Land allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and pray at the site of the Temple at the same time her husband was “announcing le... »
December 29 584 BCE (10 Tevet 3175): The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, began his siege of Jerusalem leading to the destruction of the first Temple. This day is commemorated as one of the "minor" fasts, lasting from sunrise to sunset. Of... »