Major events of the Century of Light

Prepared by Dr. Ahmadi

1901

‘Abdu’l-Bahá starts writing His Will and Testament,

Khayru’llah teaches the faith in America,

The Faith is introduced to China by a Persian,

Mirza` Abu’l Fazl arrives in America,

Of all the kings and rulers who received the Tablets of Baha’u’llah, Queen Victoria responded courteously,

Thomas Breakwell becomes the first British Bahá’í,

Hippolyte Dreyfus designated by the Guardian as the first French Bahá’í,

First celebration of the Day of the Covenant in North America.

1902

Kanichi Yamamoto the first Japanese to accept the Faith,

Mirza Aziz’u’llah Jazzab visits Leo Tolstoy and informs him of the message of Baha’u’llah,

Construction of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar of Ishqa`bad starts.

1903

A letter from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in Chicago to the House of Spirituality to approve the construction of the first Bahá’í Temple of the West,

A second letter arrives on the confirmation of the first one.

1904

Laura Clifford Barney prepares her lessons for the publication of “Some Answered Questions” in 1906.

1905

The first Bahá’í group is established in Germany,

The first 19-Day Feast is celebrated in New York.

1906

Monsieur Hippolyte Dreyfus arrives in Iran accompanied by his wife Laura Barney.

1907

Pittam Singh the first Sikh to accept the Faith,

The first Esperanto congress is held.

1908

Bahá’í Publishing Trust is founded in Chicago,

Superstructure of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar of Ishqa’ba’d is complete,

A letter sent to Constantinople to demand the release of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ from incarceration,

1909

‘Abdu’l-Bahá deposits the sacred remain of the Báb in its permanent resting place on Mt. Carmel,

Construction of the Pilgrim’s house starts in Haifa,

First Bahá’í Convention of North America is held,

Dr. Susan Moody arrives in Tehran and with the help of four Persian doctors start the hospital “Sihat”,

Dr. Sarah Clock starts the first Girl’ School “ Tarbiyat” in Tehran.

1910

Qudsiyyeh Khanum Ashraf, the first Bahá’í woman to travel to America,

The first Bahá’í News appears in Chicago, Star of the West,

‘Abdu’l-Bahá accompanied by Shoghi Effendi departs for Ramleh in Egypt after forty years of imprisonment with Baha’u’llah and twenty three years on His own.

1911

Departure of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on board SS Corsica to Marseille, Thonon-les- Baine and London,

‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in London and delivers His first talk in City Temple,

‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns to Egypt.

1912

‘Abdu’l-Bahá leaves Alexandria for New York on board SS Cedric,

Mirza Yahya` dies in Famagusta,

‘Abdu’l-Bahá lays the foundation stone of the Temple at Wilmette,

‘Abdu’l-Bahá poses for a portrait by Juliet Thompson,

He arrives in Green Acre,

His arrival in Montreal, staying four days at the Maxwell’s

He visits the tomb of Thornton Chase , the first American Bahá’í,

‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the white Bahá’ís serve the black Bahá’ís at a dinner at the Kinney’s,

He departs for Europe for the second time ,

Formation of the first LSA in Cairo,

The first African Bahá’í in Cape Town receives a letter from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

1913

‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives a talk at Woking Mosque in London,

He leaves London for Paris then to Stuttgart, Budapest, Vienna and Marseille and finally back to Port Said in Egypt.

Arrival of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Holy Land after being away for two years and three months.

1914

Mirza Abu’l Fazl, Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh, dies in Cairo, Egypt,

Agnes Alexander arrives in Japan and serves there for thirty two years.

1915

Seven Bahá’ís are martyred in Arak, Iran,

First Bahá’í Congress held in San Francisco,

Margaret Green of Washington arrives as the first Bahá’í in Alaska.

1916

First Bahá’í Summer School is held in Green Acre in the US,

‘Abdu’l-Bahá reveals the first eight Tablets of His Divine Plan,

Chen Hai An the first Chinese to become Bahá’í in Chicago taught by Dr. Zia Baghdadi,

Five Tablets of the Divine plan are published in the Star of the West.

1917

‘Abdu’l-Bahá reveals six more Tablets of the Divine Plan,

Nownahalan Children’s Saving Company founded in Iran.

1918

Shoghi Effendi finishes his studies in arts and sciences at the University of Beyrouth.

1919

Ibrahim Kheirallah dies,

Johanna Christensen Schubarth, the first Norwegian to accept the Faith in the US. The mother of the Norwegian Bahá’í Community,

Ascension of Haji Mirza Muhammad Taqi,

Fourteen Tablets of the Divine Plan were unveiled during the Convention of the Covenant in New York,

‘Abdu’l-Bahá sends His Tablet for an Endurable Peace to the Hague in response to the request of the Executive Committee,

The question of the Women’s Rights is raised for the first time in the Society of the Nations.

1920

Selection of the plan for the construction of the Mashriqu’l Adhkar of the West during the National Convention in the US,

The House of Baha’u’llah in Baghdad is confiscated,

George Townshend becomes Bahá’í through a letter of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed to him,

Mirza ` Assad’u’llah Fadil-I Mazandarani arrives in North America to speak at the National Convention,

Clara and Hyde Dunn arrive in Sydney, Australia,

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s given the title of the Knight of the British Empire in Haifa,

Louis Bourgeois is designated as the architect of the Temple in Chicago,

Fanny Knobloch the first Bahá’í teacher for South Africa arrives in Cape Town

Shoghi Effendi enters Balliol College in the University of Oxford,

Ascension of Mirza Haydar-Ali’

The all-India convention takes place in Bombay, India,

The first Bahá’í pamphlet in Japanese is produced.

1921

Doctor Auguste Forel declares his faith in Baha’u’llah,

Leonora Holsapple Armstrong , the first Bahá’í pioneer to South America arrives in Rio de Janeiro,

Beginning of the construction of the Temple in Wilmette,

Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Haifa (28 Nov.)

The Faith has been established in 35 countries

The second Convention for race unity is held in Springfield, Massachusetts,

Shoghi Effendi accompanied by Lady Blomfield and his sister Ruhangiz for Haifa.

1922

Euphemia Eleanor “Effie” Baker the first Australian to become Bahá’í,

Official opening of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The first LSA of Montreal is formed,

The Will of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is publicly read before a large number of Bahá’í s from different countries,

The Greatest Holy Leaf addresses two cables to the Persian believers informing them of the appointment of Shoghi Effendi as the Guardian,

A similar cable sent to America informing the friends of the same,

King Feisal of Iraq orders the Bahá’ís to be expelled from the House of Baha’u’llah in Baghdad,

Shoghi Effendi sends Messages to Germany by consul Schwartz and to England by Ethel Rosenberg to form LSAs

Illumination for the first time the Shrines of Baha’u’llah and the Báb by electric lights,

The first NSA is formed in the USA,

The communities of London, Manchester and Bournemouth form the NSA of England,

Shoghi Effendi returns to the Holy Land to resume his duties.

1923

Shoghi Effendi sends his first translation of the Hidden Words to America,

The keys to the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh was returned to Shoghi Effendi,

The Guardian writes to the Bahá’ís of America, Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Japan and Australia regarding the annual election of the Spiritual Assemblies and instructs them to establish local and national funds,

NSAs are formed in British Isles, India and Germany,

Baha’u’llah and the New Era is published in England by George Allen and Unwin,

The first LSA of Australia is formed in Melbourne,

1924

Gretta Lampril becomes the first Bahá’í of Tasmania,

Supreme Court of Iraq rules against the Bahá’ís as regards the House of Baha’u’llah in Baghdad,

NSAs of Egypt and the Sudan are formed,

The first Bahá’í News is published by Horace Holley in New York.

1925

Fanny Knobloch and her daughter Pauline Hannen become the first Bahá’ís to visit Southern Rhodesia

43 LSAs in North America, 38 localities in Europe, 26 of them in Germany,

International Bahá’í Bureau is formed in Geneva at the instructions of the Guardian,

A court in Egypt testifies to the independence of the Faith,

First LSA of the US is formed,

Ascension of J.E. Esslemont, the Hand of the Cause,

The keys to the House of Baha’u’llah in Baghdad is handed to the Shi’is.

1926

Shoghi Effendi visits Finland,

The Bahá’í World is published,

First LSA of Vienna is formed,

Martha Root visits Queen Mary of Romania for the first time,

Lidia Zamehof the daughter of Ludwik Zamenhof becomes the first Bahá’í of Poland,

Eight Bahá’ís are martyred in Jahrom, Iran.

1927

First LSA of Iran is formed,

Sadie Oglesby and daughter arrive in Haifa as the first black pilgrims,

Geyserville Summer School, the first to acquire property in California.

1928

Statistics:

579 localities all over the world, 102 LSAs , 9 NSAs, Bahá’í literature translated into 8 languages.

First LSA of Shanghai is formed,

Soviet authorities abrogate the constitution of the LSA of Ishqabad and dissolve it,

Bahá’í schools and libraries open,

LSA of Tehran copies 1857 pages of the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and 634 Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,

20^th international congress of Esperanto is held,

NSA of the US writes a letter to the Shah of Iran asking for the cessation of the persecution of the Bahá’ís,

The Faith enters Albania by Martha Root.

1929

The Society of Nations recognizes Bayt-Baghdad (the House of Muhammad Husayn) as a Holy Place,

Incorporation of the NSA of America and Canada,

Mansion of Bahji is vacated by the Covenant Breakers,

First Bahá’í Summer School in California.

1930

Official recognition of the NSA of America in Israel,

Translation of the World Order of Baha’u’llah Further Consideration into Esperanto, Russian and Arabic,

The Guardian writes Baha’u’llah Divine Economy,

Shoghi Effendi translates Kitab-i-Iqan ( The Book of Certitude ) into English,

Louis J. Bougeois, the architect of the Chicago Temple passes away,

The first conference of Asiatic women is held in India.

1931

Green Acre Youth Conference on International Relations,

First translation of Baha’u’llah and the New Era into Chinese,

First Bahá’í Summer School of Germany at Esslingen,

Laying the foundation stone of first National Haziratul-Quds in Iran,

Ascension of Dr. Auguste Forel at the age of 82,

First NSA of Iraq is formed.

1932

Iranian government bans the importation of all Bahá’í literature and periodicals and local Bahá’í publications, Bahá’í marriage not recognized,

Mansion of Bahji is liberated from the Covenant –Breakers,

Guardian writes, “ The Golden Age of Baha’u’llah”,

Esslemont is translated into: French, Greek, Danish, Swedish, Bulgarian, Persian, Turkish and Japanese,

First LSA of Tokyo is formed,

Bahiyyih Khanum passes away in Haifa,

Keith Ransom Kehler meets the minister of Justice of Iran, presenting the letter of the American Bahá’ís asking for the unbanning of the Bahá’í literature.

1933

Tavakul Bahá’í school of Qazvin (Iran) is closed,

Ascension of Hand of the Cause Keith Ransom Kehler in Isfahan, Iran

Esslemont is translated into Dutch, Albanian, Serbian, Hungarian and Armenian,

Letter of the Guardian to the American believers : America and the Most Great Peace,

LSA of Addis Ababa is formed.

1934

All over Iran the Bahá’ís and their legal matters become the object of administrative sanctions,

First NSA of the Sudan is formed,

First NSA of Iran is formed,

Guardian writes, Dispensation of Baha’u’llah,

Exemption of the Mt. Carmel properties of taxation,,

First LSA of Australia and New Zealand is formed with its seat in Sydney,

Authorities close Tarbyiat Bahá’í school in Tehran, Iran.

1935

Persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran goes on unabated,

Esslemont is translated into Norwegian and Ethiopian,

German Summer School held with the presence of Miss Maxwell ( Ruhiyyih Khanum)

Shoghi Effendi writes to the NSA of the US and Canada instructing them to universally observe the Laws of Obligatory Prayers, Parental consent for marriage, monogamy, prohibition of drugs and alcohol.

1936

Shirin Fozdar the first women elected to the NSA of India,

British Bahá’ís hold their first Summer school,

Martha Root visits for the last time Queen Mary of Rumania,

Guardian writes, The unfoldment of World Civilization,

Khusraw Biman the first Zoroastrian to accept the Faith in India.

1937

Persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran goes on,

Ascension of Queen Mary of Rumania,

Radio New York broadcasts a programme on the Bahá’í Faith,

Shoghi Effendi marries Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum,

All Bahá’í activities are banned by Gestapo in Germany,

The first 7-year Plan is launched in North America,

Muhammad-Ali half brother of Baha’u’llah dies.

1938

Persecution of the Bahá’ís goes on unabated,

Melba Loft, the first Canadian of First Nation (Aboriginal) origin to become Bahá’í,

Persecution of the Bahá’ís in the Soviet Union, NSA of Ishq-Abad members are arrested, Temple is converted to Art Gallery and the Bahá’í schools are closed,

First LSA of Latin America is formed in Mexico,

Munireh Khanum, the Holy Mother, the wife of 'Abdu'l-Bahá passes on,

Pastor Vaino Rissanen the first Bahá’í of Finland declares,

First Summer School of the Bahá’ís of India is held,

Shoghi Effendi writes “ The Advent of Divine Justice” for the Bahá’ís of the US and Canada,

LSA of Haifa is dissolved by the Guardian.

1939

Sir Perfecto Perez becomes the first Cuban Bahá’í,

F.Ferrari the first Honduran to become Bahá’í,

Prof. Hedayat Hossein writes a book on Tahirih,

First Bahá’í Summer School of Iran is held,

Esslemont is translated into Icelandic,

Habibi Ehsan is murdered in Haifa,

Ascension of Hand of the Cause Martha Root at the age of 67 in Honolulu,

First 19-Day feast is celebrated by four Bahá’ís San Salvador,

Shoghi Effendi exhumes the remains of Navvab and the Purest Branch and transports them to Mt. Carmel, and reburies them adjacent to Bahiyyih Khanum’s resting place.

1940

May Maxwell dies in Buenos Aires,

Thomas Bereford Macauley , the first to become Bahá’í in Nigeria,

Grand Mufti of Egypt declares that the Bahá’ís are not allowed to bury their dead in Muslim cemeteries and they must have their own,

Canadian Ministry of Defense exempts the Bahá’ís of military service,

First of LSA of Brazil is formed in Bahia,

First LSA of Argentina is formed in Buenos Aires,

George Townshend delivers a sermon at St Patrick Cathedral in Dublin and proclaims the Faith to the congregation,

Eduardo Gonzalez an Equadorian student to become the first native Bahá’í of that country.

1941

Aura Sanchez becomes the first native Bahá’í of Colombia,

Guardian publishes “ The Promised Day Is Come”,

John Hyde Dunn , the Hand of the Cause and Knight of Baha’u’llah for Australia passes on,

Marina del Prado is declared by the Guardian the Spiritual Mother of Bolivia,

First Bahá’í Summer School of Canada is held in Montreal.

1942

The House of the Báb in Shiraz is damaged by fire,

Lidia Zamenhof is murdered in gas chamber in Treblinka,

First LSA of Haiti is formed in Port-au-Prince and the one for Cuba in Havana,

First LSA of Salvador is formed in San Salvador,

The Guardian asks Sutherland Maxwell to design the superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb.

1943

Margot Vandenbroeck- Levy-Galler the first Luxembourger to become Bahá’í in Chicago,

External decoration of the Temple in Chicago is completed,

First LSA of Alaska is formed in Anchorage.

1944

A committee in Tehran identifies the House of Baha’u’llah in the city and purchases it,

Model of the Shrine of the Báb is made and presented,

British 6-Year Plan is launched,

End of the 7-Year Plan in the US,

First Women’s Conference in Iran is held,

First LSA of Peru in Lima, of Jamaica in Kingston, of Porto Rico in San Juan, of Colombia in Bogota and of Honduras in Tegucigalpa,

Centenary Celebrations are held in Wilmette,

Centenary of the Declaration of the Báb and the end of the first Epoch of the Formative Age is celebrated in the House of the Báb in Shiraz,

Shoghi Effendi writes “God Passes By”, the history of the first 100 years of the Bahá’í Faith.

1945

Bahá’í students throughout Iran are deprived of college education,

First LSAs of Equator is formed in Guayaquil, of Dominica Republic in Saint-Dominic, of Bolivia in La Paz and of Venezuela in Caracas,

80 percent of German Bahá’ís who live in American occupied section of the country are authorized to reorganized.

1946

Restoration of the House of Baha’u’llah in Tehran is completed,

45-Month Plan of Iran is launched, first teaching conference takes place,

NSA of Germany and Austria is reformed,

First LSA of Brazil is formed in Rio de Janeiro and of Panama in Panama City,

Second 7-Year Plan of the US and Canada is launched, the second Epoch of the Formative Age begins,

Ascension of Muhammad Taqi-I Isfahani ( posthumously Hand of the Cause) in Egypt.

1947

NSA of the US and Canada is accredited by the UN as a Non –Governmental Organization,

Bahá’í International Community becomes a member of the UNICEF,

4-year Plan for the emancipation of women in Iraq,

First Youth conference in Iran is held,

First LSA of Rome is formed,

Manuel Garcia Vasquez becomes the first Bahá’í of Spain,

Shoghi Effendi affirms the nonpolitical character of the Faith and explains that Palestine is only the Spiritual and Administrative Centre of the Faith,

George Townshend renounces his position in the Church of Ireland at the age of 71.

1948

National Bahá’í Centre in Tehran is attacked by commandos instigated by Ayatu’llah Kashani,

Temple in Ishq-Abad is damaged by an explosion,

The title “Bahá’í International Community” is used for the first time as a Non-governmental Organization for the existing 8 NSAs ,

Contract for the red granite colonnades of the Shrine of the Báb and their transportation to Haifa is made in Italy,

First LSA of Spain is formed in Madrid,

First LSA of Sweden is formed in Stockholm, of the Netherlands in Amsterdam, of Belgium in Brussels, of Afghanistan in Kabul and of Ireland in Dublin,

First NSA of Canada is formed,

Bahá’í International Community Participates in Human Rights Conference,

First European Bahá’í Conference is held in Geneva.

1949

Construction of the superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb begins,

First LSA of Portugal is formed in Lisbon and of Denmark in Copenhagen,

Second European teaching conference is held in Brussels.

1950

End of 45-Month Plan in Iran,

Martyrdom of Doctor Sulayman Birgis in Kashan ,Iran,

Number of states and dependencies where the Faith is established reaches 100,

First Summer School of Copenhagen,

Centenary of the martyrdom of the Báb ,

Death of Mirza Badi’u’llah the son of Bahá’u’lláh ( Covenant –Breaker).

1951

Shoghi Effendi receives an original manuscript of the Kitab-i-Iqan, handwritten by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and with few notes added by Baha’u’llah at the margins of the pages—now in the Archives,

A 19-Month teaching Plan for India, Pakistan and Burma is launched,

Membership of the LSA is extended to women in Egypt,

Shoghi Effendi announces the appointment of Bahá’í International Council,

NSA of South America is elected in Lima ,Peru and of Central America in Panama,

Number of countries where the Faith is established reaches 106,

Creation of Bahá’í International Fund,

Shoghi Effendi Announces the commemoration of the centenary of the birth of the Faith of Baha’u’llah in Siyah Chal,

Shoghi Effendi appoints 12 Hands of the Cause of God : Sutherland Maxwell, Mason Remey, Amelia Collins, Valiyu’llah Varqa, Tarzu’llah Samandari, Ali-Akbar Furutan, Horace Holley, Dorothy Baker, Leroy Ioas, George Townshend, Hermann Grossmann and Ugo Giachery

1952

Walli Khan becomes the first Fijian Bahá’í,

Teo Geok Leng becomes the first Chinese Bahá’í of Singapore,

Shoghi Effendi appoints the second contingent of the Hands of the Cause of God : Fred Schopflocher, Corinne True, Dhikru’llah Khadem, Shuau’llah Alai, Adelbert Muhlschlegel Musa Banani and Clara Dunn,

Shoghi Effendi enlarges the Bahá’í International Council membership to eight,

Amatu’l-Baha` Ruhiyyih Khanum is appointed Hand of the Cause to replace her father,

First LSA of Tanganyika is established in Dar-es-Salam,

First LSA of Singapore is formed and one of Uganda in Kampala,

C.C.Cheng, a journalist, engineering Prof. L.S.Tso and Miss Rose du Ruth Tu became the first Bahá’ís of Taiwan .

Shoghi Effendi Decides to announce the launching of the 10-Year Crusade.

1953

Grant Mensah, a Ghanian to become the first Bahá’í of Ruanda-Brundi,

Shoghi Effendi announces the plans for the construction of Temple in Frankfurt,

First LSA of Finland is formed in Helsinki,

A large number of Bahá’ís who arise to pioneer following the launching of the 10-Year Crusade are named by the Guardian as the Knights of Baha’u’llah ,

1954

The nomination of the Knights of Baha’u’llah continues,

Shoghi Effendi announces that 235 countries and territories and 3000 localities are opened to the Faith,

1955

Beginning of construction work on the International Archives building,

Victories : No of countries 326, centres 3200, ethnic groups 40, translations 176,

LSAs formed : at Nasssau for the Bahamas, one in Zanzibar, one in Reunion, five in Lesotho, four in the Gambia, one each in Zimbabwe, Togo, Mozambique, Italian Somali, Madagascar, Seychelles and Vietnam ( Chinese Section),

The House of the Báb in Shiraz is attacked by a mob instigated by Nuru’d-Din mujtahid,

Iranian armed forces occupy National Bahá’í Centre, the dome of the Building is demolished, persecution continues and the House of the Báb is damaged, the House of Baha’u’llah in Takur, Mazandaran is attacked

The NSA of Iran asks the NSAs of the world to request the Secretary General of the UN Dag Hammarskjold to intervene and stop the attacks against the Bahá’ís,

Shoghi Effendi announces the project of building a House of Worship in Kampala, Uganda,

Ali-Muhammad Varqa succeeds his father, nominated a Hand of the Cause,

Madam Lotoa Refiti becomes the first Bahá’í of Samoa.

1956

Chiten Tashi a young man becomes the first Tibetan Bahá’í,

Shoghi Effendi purchases the ruins of a place known as the Master’s tea house,

First four Bahá’ís of Hong Kong : Nari Sherwani Ng Ying Kay, Chan Lie Kun and Chan Lie Fun

Victories to date: No of countries 247, localities 3700, LSAs 900, incorporated 168, literature 190 languages, Egyptian women given the right of being elected to the NSA,

New LSAs formed : one each in Taiwan, Bermuda, Botswana, Seoul, Guam and Hong Kong,

1957

Enoch Olinga arrives in the Holy Land as the first black African pilgrim,

Agnes Alexander appointed a Hand of the Cause,

Shoghi Effendi announce the following achievements : countries where the Faith is established 251,LSAs 1000, localities 4200, all the territories mentioned in the Tablets of the Divine plan are opened to the Faith, literature translated into 230 languages. Israeli Dept. of treasury expropriated the properties of the Covenant –Breakers north of Bahji,

The following NSAs are formed: Scandinavia and Finland, Benelux, Iberian Peninsula, Mexico and Central America, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Equator and Venezuela, Great Antilles, North and South East Asia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Alaska.

The following LSAs are formed: Laos, Cape Verde Islands and Nyasaland.

Construction of International Archives is complete,

Shoghi Effendi sends soil from the room of the Báb in Mahku for the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar of the US,

Covenant –Breakers are totally removed from Bahji,

Guardian delegates the protection of the Faith to the Hands of the Cause,

Third contingents of the Hands of the Cause are appointed: Enoch Olinga, William Sears, John Robarts, Hasan Balyuzi, John Ferraby, Collis Featherstone, Rahmatu’llah Muhajir, Abul-Qasim Faizi,

The Hands are designated by the Guardian as “The Chief Stewards of Bahá’u’lláh’s embryonic World commonwealth”

Shoghi Effendi asks for the holding of a series of Intercontinental conferences to be held in Kampala, Sydney, Chicago, Frankfurt and Djakarta,

Shoghi Effendi Passes on in London ( Nov. 4^th) following contraction of Asiatic flu ,

The funeral of Shoghi Effendi takes place in a cemetery north of London.

Six-year Mandate of the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land is drawn,

The first conclave of the Hands of the Cause,

25 Nov. the following Hands were chosen to reside in the Holy Land : Ruhiyyih Khanum, Mason Remey, Amelia Collins, Leroy Ioas, Hasan Balyuzi, Ali-Akbar Furutan, Paul Haney and Adelbert Muhlschlegel,

It was announced that the Guardian has not left an Heir and not appointed any Guardian.

1958

First LSA of Nepal is formed,

First Intercontinental conference is Held in Kampala halfway through the 10-year Crusade,

Foundation stone of the Temple of Kampala is laid by Hands of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum and Musa Banani,

2^nd Intercontinental Conference is held in Sydney,

Foundation stone of the first Mashriqu’l Adhkar of the Antipodes ( Australia) is laid by Hands of the Cause

Mason Remey and Clara Dunn,

First LSAs of Tonga and Macao , first NSA of France , first LSA of Papua- New Guinea are formed

3^rd Intercontinental Conference held in Chicago and 4^th in Frankfurt, but a week before the holding of Djakarta conference the government banned the holding of the event and therefore it was held in Singapore,

A monument was erected on the tomb of Shoghi Effendi.

1959

William Wiloya the first Eskimo to accept the Faith,

Members of the LSA of Ankara were arrested,

Separate NSAs of in India and Burma, NSA of Turkey and first LSAs in Granada and Cambodia are formed . Number of NSAs in the world 31, countries 255, localities 5200, LSAs 1275, languages 261,

Ketty Antoniou first female Bahá’í of Greece.

1960

Bahá’í primary schools are opened in Bolivia, Fatuma Jama first Somali Bahá’í declares, two Bahá’í primary schools are opened in Uganda, the Guardians ( Ministry) announce the following statistics : countries 256, localities 5800, LSAs 1500, languages 268,

Bahá’í marriage is legally is cognized in Canada, corner stone of the House of Worship is laid by Hand of the Cause Amelia Collins.

1961

Official inauguration of the Mother Temple of Africa in Kampala by Ruhiyyih Khanum and 500 participants,

Following the arrest of Bahá’ís in Turkey, a tribunal concluded that the Bahá’í Faith is an independent religion and later on as a Tarighat ( a banned sect),

House of Worship in Sydney is inaugurated., International Archives is opened to pilgrims.

1962

The following NSAs are formed : Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ceylan and Loyalty Islands.

1963

The end of 10-year Crusade, first International convention is held in Haifa and the Universal House of Justice is elected for the first time : Charles Wolcott, Ali Nakhjavani, Borrah Kavelin, Ian Semple,

Lutfu’llah Hakim, David Hofman, Hugh Chance, Amos Gibson and Hushmand Fathe-Aazam.

First World Congress to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the Declaration of Baha’u’llah is held in London,

Bahá’í cemetery in Tehran is attacked and the graves profaned,

The House of Justice announces the demolition of the Temple of Ishq-Abad by the Soviet authorities.

1964

Francisco Pimienta the chief of Arpushana clan in Colombia becomes Bahá’í,

Following new NSAs were formed : Northwest Africa in Tunis, West Africa in Monrovia, Central Africa in Kampala, South and West Africa in Johannesburg, Kenya, Tanganyka, Indian Ocean in Port- Louis, Hawaii, South Pacific in Suva, Southwest Pacific in Honiara, North Asia in Tokyo, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Philippines,

House of Worship in Langenhain , Germany is inaugurated,

The House of Justice announces that it will no longer be possible to appoint Hands of the Cause ( The Guardian could do it only ).

1965

Emma Reinert the first Bahá’í of Faroe Islands, Franklin Bozor, an agriculturist and Pierre Defoe first Bahá’ís of Guadeloupe, first LSA of Iceland is formed , Walter Garland and Madam Annie Lourie Williams first Bahá’ís of Turc Islands, Jazy Souleyman, a teacher first Bahá’í of Niger,

Bahá’í International Community establishes its office in the UN Headquarters in Plaza Building in New York

1966

The following NSAs are formed : Brunei, Senegal and Surinam,

The House of Justice writes its first “ Letter to the Bahá’í Youth”

First LSA of Niger is formed.

1967

The House of Justice establishes the first audio-visual centre in New York,

Following NSAs are formed : Laos, Sikkim, Taiwan, Cameron, Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique, Zambia, Virgin Islands, Gilbert and Ellice , Algeria and Tunisia, British Honduras ( now Belize)

Six International conferences are held simultaneously in Panama, Wilmette, Sydney, Kampala, Frankfurt and New Delhi to celebrate the centenary of the Proclamation of Baha’u’llah to the Kings,

Foundation stone of the Latin American House of Worship is laid in Panama by Hand of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum .

1968

Malietoa Tanumafili, the king of Western Samoa, the first reigning monarch writes a letter to the House of Justice confirming his belief in Baha’u’llah,

First LSAs of French Guinea, Equatorial Guinea and Caiman Islands are formed,

The House of Justice establishes the Continental Board of Counselors to carry forward the functions of the Hands of the Cause, protection and propagation,

Centenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s arrival in the Holy Land is celebrated at the World Center.

1969

Persecution of the Bahá’í is in Iran is intensified, Bahá’í centers are closed, students are prevented from entering colleges and universities, ban on employment of Bahá’ís in force, the Faith is banned in Algeria, NSA is dissolved and the institutions banned,

NSAs of Rwanda and Burundi , New Guinea and Upper Volta ( now Burkina ) are formed.

1970

Up to 1971 more than 20000 African Americans in the rural South East of the US join the Faith,

More than 6000 become Bahá’ís in Bolivia,

NSAs of Botswana , Dahomey, Togo and Niger, Ghana, Nigeria, Rhodesia, Central African Republic, Malawi, the Gambia, Zaire, Guyana , Surinam, Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji and Mauritania are formed,

Iraqi government bans all Bahá’í institutions and activities,

1000 Guajiro Indians become Bahá’ís in Venezuela,

Bahá’í International Community obtains consultative status at the Social and Economic Council of the UN.

1971

First LSA of Ciskei is formed in South Africa,

Following NSAs are formed: Chad, Congo and Gabon, Cote d’Ivoir Mali, Guam and Solomon Islands,

An obelisque is erected by the House of Justice at the site of future House of Worship of the Holy Land.

1972

NSAs are formed in : Arabian Peninsula, Bangladesh, Iceland, Madagascar, Nepal, Micronesia, Porto Rico, Windward Islands, Brunei , Seychelles and San Marino,

Dedication of the House of Worship in Panama,

The House of Justice decides to build its Seat,

First LSA of Malta is formed and one in Falkland Islands.

1973

First LSA of St. Helena formed,

The 9-Year Plan is successfully achieved,

Synopsis and Codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas is published,

International Teaching Center is established at the World Center and meets for the first time on June 14,

NSA of Equatorial Guinea is formed.

1974

The House of Justice launches 5-Year Plan,

NSAs are formed in Hong Kong, Morocco and Japan,

Annemarie Kruger arrives in Moldova and named Knight of Baha’u’llah.

1975

The House of Abdu’llah Pasha` is bought following long and protracted negotiations,

LSA is formed for Laotian refugees in Thailand.

1976

An LSA is formed in an Inuite community at northernmost part of the globe at Barrow in Alaska,

International Teaching Conferences held with 950 participants in Helsinki, Finland , 5700 people in Paris and 1363 participants in Nairobi, Kenya.

1977

NSA of Thailand is reformed,

In a message to the women of the Bahá’í world , the House of Justice encouraged them to assume more active role in the service of the Faith ,

First LSA of Galapagos formed.

1978

First LSA of Bonaire in Dutch Antilles is formed,

Ten Bahá’ís are murdered in Iran, NSAs of Mauritania, Cypress , Virgin Islands, the Bahamas and Mariana are. formed,

A message from the House of Justice addressed to 93 NSAs informing the Bahá’ís of the world of the danger facing the Bahá’ís of Iran and the Holy Places in Tehran and Shiraz.

1979

Five Bahá’ís martyred in Iran, the House of Baha’u’llah in Tehran is confiscated by the revolutionary government,

Ruhiyyih Khanum lays the foundation stone of the House of Worship in the Pacific,

Iranian revolutionary guards cease Nawnahalan Bahá’í company and occupy the National Hazirat’ul-Quds

The House of Justice defines the objectives of the 9-Year Plan,

Revolutionary guards occupy the House of the Báb in Shiraz,

First LSA of Greeenland is formed,

The House of the Báb in Shiraz is attacked by a group of 25 guards and seriously damaged,

1980

Persecution of the Bahá’ís is continued throughout the year and 25 more Bahá’ís are martyred,

First LSA of Guinea is formed. NSA of Transkei in South Africa is formed,

Members of the NSA of Iran are abducted and murdered.

1981

Persecution goes on unabated and 48 Bahá’ís are martyred,

The Office of the European Branch of the Bahá’í International Community is established in Geneva,

The following NSAs are formed : Bophuthatswana, Namibia, Bermuda, Leeward Islands, Windward Islands and Tuvalu. NSA of Uganda is reformed.,

First Bahá’í marriage takes place in the Soviet Union.

1982

Persecution goes on and 31 more Bahá’ís are martyred,

International Conference held in Dublin to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf, also International conferences are held in Quito, Lagos, Canberra and Montreal.

1983

Persecution goes on and 6 more were martyred,

The House of Justice is complete and is occupied by the members,

NSAs are formed in Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Granadines,

The Office of the Social and Economic Development is established at the world Center.

1984

Persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran is continued unabated,

First Bahá’í university is opened in Bolivia,

NSAs formed in Nicobar Islands, Grenada, Martinique and Yemen,

House of Worship in Apia, Western Samoa is dedicated,

1985

Persecution continues throughout the year,

NSA s are formed in Ciskei and Caroline Islands,

Public Information Office is established at the Bahá’í World Center,

International youth conferences to encourage the youth of the UN are held in Anvers, Belgium with 1450

From 45 nations participating, Botswana, Port Dickson, Lima Hawaii and Nepal,

In preparation for the Year of Peace and commemoration of the 40^th anniversary of the UN the House of Justice addressed the people of the world in “The promise of World Peace”

1986

Persecution goes on throughout the year,

First LSA formed in San Salvador, Iceland,

In a meeting of the Counsellors at the World Center the House of Justice announced the beginning of the fourth Epoch of the Formative Age,

7-Year Plan ends with success,

House of Worship in New Delhi is Inaugurated

1987

First LSA of the Pygmies in Central Africa is formed,

The Secretary General of the UN designates the Bahá’í International Community and the NSAs

Of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Kenya and Lesotho as the “Messengers of Peace” for their support of the Year of Peace in 1986,

The Bahá’í International Community joins 5 other major religions in “ Network of Religion and Conservation”,

1988

NSA OF Guinea is formed,

Over 100,000 people, men, women and youth join the Faith in Uttar Pradesh, India,

Over 2500 become Bahá’ís in Bangladesh, 1000 accept the Faith during a teaching conference in Bolivia and 1100 in State of Gujarat, India,

1989

In anticipation of a time for proclamation of the Faith in China, an office of the Bahá’í International Community was opened in Hong Kong,

Three International Music Festivals held in Africa,

The Commission on Human Rights adopts a resolution on condemning the violation of the human rights of the Bahá’ís in Iran,

First women’s conference in Spain was held in Madrid,

LSA of Ishqabad is reformed,

The House of Justice announces that half a million people have joined the Faith during the course of the past year,

Sean Hinton the first Bahá’í pioneer to Mongolia, Knight of Baha’u’llah,

First Mongolian, Ms Oyundelger 22 becomes Bahá’í,

Bahá’ís of Liechtenstein organize a Bahá’í Book show during the International Festival for Peace,

1990

First LSA entirely composed of “ Ahmadiyyah” origin is formed in Pakistan,

The first Bahá’í conference in sixty years is held in Moscow, the Soviet Union,

The Urban Planning commission of the city of Haifa approves the constructions on Mount Carmel,

First postwar LSA formed in Cluj, Rumania,

The Island of Sakhlin, the last remaining goal of the 10-Year Crusade was opened by Knights of Baha’u’llah Abbas and Ridvanyyih Katirai,

The House announces that during the course of the past two years 2,000.000 have joined the Faith,

First LSAs of Estonia, Hungary , Moscow , Prague , Kief and Sakhalin are formed,

1991

“The Vision of Race Unity, America’s Most Challenging Issue” is published and widely distributed among the friends in America,

First LSAs of Bratislava in Slovakia, Plodiv in Bulgaria, Riga in Lithuania and Tashkent are formed,

The universal application of the Law of Huquq'u'llah is announced by the House of Justice,

NSAs are formed in Rumania, Soviet Union, Prague and Leeward Islands,

First LSAs of Moldova, Armenia, Albania, Kirghizstan and Belarus are formed,

A Bahá’í Monument for Peace is inaugurated in Florianopolis, Brazil,

1992

The English translation of the Kitab-i-Aqdas is published,

The House of Justice decides to create an office for the Advancement of Women at the Head-quarters of the Bahá’í International Community in New York,

LSAs of Zanzibar and Erfurt in East Germany are formed,

Six –Year Plan ends successfully,

The Law of Huququ’llah is universally applied,

NSAs of Albania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Angola, Greenland, Congo and Azerbaidjan, and LSAs of Ukraine and Central Asia and UlaanBatar in Mongolia are formed,

The Centenary of the Ascension of Baha’u’llah is commemorated at the world Center with 3000 Bahá’ís from200 countries present . 130 Knights of Baha’u’llah participated in a reception at the Seat of the House of Justice to view the Role of Honour,

Hand of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum deposits the Ribbon bearing the names of the Knights of Baha’u’llah at the entrance of interior sanctuary of the Shrine of Baha’u’llah,

The Second Bahá’í Congress is held in New York and the proceedings are relayed to the Bahá’ís of the World via satellite,

The House announces the establishment of an office for the Advancement of Women in New York,

1993

Over 10,000 people become Bahá’ís in Bangladesh,

The 3-Year Plan is launched,

LSAs of Tibilisi Georgia and Leipzig are reformed,

A section of the Bahá’í cemetery in Tehran is razed with bulldozers to prepare the ground for construction of an Islamic cultural center.

1994

The following NSAs are formed : Mongolia, Slovenia, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Tadjikistan and Uzbekistan are formed.

1995

Following NSAs are formed : Georgia, Armenia, Belarus, Erythrea and Sicily are formed,

7000 become Bahá’ís in Haiti in a matter of two weeks,

Over one million people visit the Bahá’í Temple in India,

The Kitab-i-Aqdas is published in Arabic and Persian.

1996

The 3-Year Plan ends successfully,

The 4-Year Plan is launched,

NSAs of Sao Tome and Principe and Moldova are formed,

The terraces below the Shrine of the Báb are complete and opened to Pilgrims,

The Kitab-i-Aqdas is translated into French.

1997

The Encyclopedia Britannica gives the following statistics :

Number of Bahá’ís : 6,404,000 residing in 210 countries,

Africa : 1,923,000 , Asia : 3,230,000, Europe : 95,000 , Latin America : 722,000, North America : 357,000. Oceania : 77,000 ,

The statistics given by the House are more accurate :

Bahá’ís living in 190 countries and 45 Territories : over 5,000,000,

NSAs :179, LSAs : 17335, localities where Bahá’ís reside : 116859, ethnic groups : 2112, Languages translated : 802 , Social and Economic activities 1500, schools and academies : 225.

1998

1999

2000

The co- students are invited to please fill the years 1998,1999 and 2000