TODAY IN HISTORYJune 5, 1963: In what’s become known as the 15 Khordad Movement (because it took place on the 15th day of the Iranian month of Khordad), protests and riots break out in cities across Iran after the arrest of Ayatollah Ruholl
You’re reading the web version of Foreign Exchanges. If you’d like to get it delivered straight to your inbox, sign up today:Subscribe nowTODAY IN HISTORYJune 4, 1615: The army of the Tokugawa Shogunate captures Osaka, ending a siege that h
GiveDirectly is raising funds to help families affected by the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. If you’re able to contribute, please do so!TODAY IN HISTORYJune 3, 1940: World War II’s Battle of Dunkirk ends with the l
You’re reading the web version of Foreign Exchanges. If you’d like to get it delivered straight to your inbox, sign up today:Subscribe nowGiveDirectly is raising funds to help families affected by the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republ
TODAY IN HISTORYJune 1, 1215: After a lengthy siege during which a substantial portion of its population is believed to have starved to death and after which many more were massacred (actual figures are hard to come by), the city of Zhongdu
Hello and welcome to “Ask Derek Anything,” Foreign Exchanges’ weekly AMA/discussion thread for paid subscribers! Here’s how this works: I’m here to answer your questions (briefly; please don’t ask anything that would require 800 words to pr
You’re reading the web version of Foreign Exchanges. If you’d like to get it delivered straight to your inbox, sign up today:Subscribe nowPROGRAMMING NOTE: I have a family commitment this evening and so I need to publish today’s newsletter
In the last two weeks the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency over an Ebola outbreak stemming from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bolivia’s government failed to placate anti-austerity demonstrators. The Israeli m
TODAY IN HISTORYMay 29, 1453: The city of Constantinople falls to the besieging Ottomans, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire and, if you prefer the longer view, the Roman Empire.Greek painter Theophilos Hatzimihail’s 1932 painting depi
You’re reading the web version of Foreign Exchanges. If you’d like to get it delivered straight to your inbox, sign up today:Subscribe nowTODAY IN HISTORYMay 28, 621: With only around 10,000 soldiers at his disposal, prince Li Shimin of the
Eid Mubarak to those who are celebrating!GiveDirectly is raising funds to help families affected by the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. If you’re able to contribute, please do so!TODAY IN HISTORYMay 27, 1644: A Qing
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Hello and welcome to “Ask Derek Anything,” Foreign Exchanges’ weekly AMA/discussion thread for paid subscribers! Here’s how this works: I’m here to answer your questions (briefly; please don’t ask anything that would require 800 words to pr
You’re reading the web version of Foreign Exchanges. If you’d like to get it delivered straight to your inbox, sign up today:Subscribe nowREMINDER: I’m taking the next few days off for Memorial Day here in the US. We will return to our regu
TODAY IN HISTORYMay 20, 1498: Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrives at the port of Calicut (modern Kozhikode), completing his expedition from Lisbon around the African coast to India. Da Gama, who was expecting to extract favorable trad
You’re reading the web version of Foreign Exchanges. If you’d like to get it delivered straight to your inbox, sign up today:Subscribe nowPROGRAMMING NOTE: In the interest of staving off burnout I am going to take a break for the upcoming M
TODAY IN HISTORYMay 18, 1291: Among several other notorious Crusades anniversaries, May 18 was the date on which the city of Acre, the last Crusader state in the Levant, fell to the besieging Mamluks. It would take several more days to clea
Hello and welcome to “Ask Derek Anything,” Foreign Exchanges’ weekly AMA/discussion thread for paid subscribers! Here’s how this works: I’m here to answer your questions (briefly; please don’t ask anything that would require 800 words to pr
You’re reading the web version of Foreign Exchanges. If you’d like to get it delivered straight to your inbox, sign up today:Subscribe nowPROGRAMMING NOTE: Apologies for this but as I was writing tonight’s newsletter I began to feel rather