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The Cabinet June 27, 2026 · Baghdad

The 9th-Century Baghdad Mathematician Whose Name Became the Word 'Algorithm' and Whose Book Title Became 'Algebra'

Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi worked at the House of Wisdom in Baghdad under Caliph al-Ma'mun in the 820s. His *al-Kitāb al-mukhtaṣar fī ḥisāb al-jabr wa-l-muqābala* gave Europe the word algebra. The Latinised version of his name — algoritmi — gave Europe the word algorithm. He introduced the Hindu decimal numeral system to the Arabic-speaking world and from there to Europe.

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The Cabinet June 27, 2026 · Gaugamela, northern Iraq

The Battle East of the Tigris on 1 October 331 BCE That Ended the Persian Empire When Alexander the Great Defeated Darius III

Alexander the Great's Macedonian army of approximately 47,000 defeated Darius III's Persian army of approximately 100,000 east of the Tigris river on 1 October 331 BCE. Darius fled the field. The Persian Empire that had existed for two centuries collapsed within months. Darius was murdered by his own satrap nine months later. Alexander died of fever at Babylon four years after that.

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The Coroner’s Report June 27, 2026 · Baghdad

The 12-Day Mongol Siege and Sack of Baghdad in February 1258 That Ended the Five-Century Abbasid Caliphate and Killed Approximately 200,000 to 800,000 People

Hulagu Khan's Mongol army of approximately 150,000 besieged Baghdad on 29 January 1258. The Abbasid Caliph al-Musta'sim surrendered on 10 February. The Mongol sack ran from 13 to 20 February 1258. Casualty estimates range from 200,000 to 800,000 dead. The Tigris reportedly ran black with ink from the destroyed libraries and red with blood from the killed. The Abbasid Caliphate of 750-1258 ended.

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