The first Baha'i in England

Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper (The Baha'i World 1938-1940)

December 13, 1971: Erection of the obelisk on Mount Carmel

The obelisk, marking the site of the future Mashriqu'l-Adhkar on Mount Carmel, was raised. This project was initiated by the beloved Guardian. 

(Adapted from two messages of the Universal House of Justice dated 13 December 1971 and Ridvan 1973)

1925: National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States and Canada

(Researched and prepared by Duane Troxel)

October 1941: Egypt's first Haziratu'l-Quds

Laying Foundation Stone of Haziratu'l-Quds at Cairo, Egpt, October, 1941. (The Baha'i World 1940-1944)

The great expansion of the Faith at the end of the Nine Year Plan – April 1964 to April 1973

(Based on a message from the Universal House of Justice dated Ridvan 1973)

• 113 National Spiritual Assemblies
• 17,000 Local Spiritual Assemblies
• 69,500 localities worldwide
• Bahá'í literature was translated to 571 languages – a gain of 225 from 1964
• The Faith acquired: 63 more Temple sites, 56 additional National Haziratu'l-Quds, and 62 more National Endowments bringing the total numbers of these properties to 98, 112 and 104 respectively.
• As of April 1973 there were 50 Teaching Institutes and Summer and Winter Schools and 15 Baha’i Publishing Trusts
• The Mother Temple of Latin America was built and dedicated during the Nine Year Plan
• 90 National Spiritual Assemblies and 1,556 Local Spiritual Assemblies were incorporated
• Bahá'í Holy Days were recognized in 64 countries
• Bahá'í marriage certification was recognized in 40 countries
• 3,553 pioneers left their homes during the Plan --2,265 of whom were still at their posts in April 1973. 

The Mansion of Mazra'ih was purchased during the Nine Year Plan (1964-1973)

The Mansion of Mazra'ih, often referred to by the beloved Guardian as one of the "twin mansions" in which the Blessed Beauty resided after nine years within the walled prison city of 'Akká, and dear to the hearts of the believers by reason of its associations with their Lord, has at last been purchased together with 24,000 square metres of land extending into the plain on its eastward side. 

(The Universal House of Justice, from Ridvan 1973 message; Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1968-1973)

17000 Local Spiritual Assemblies worldwide as of April 1973

The number of Local Spiritual Assemblies was increased from 5,000 at the beginning of the Nine Year Plan (1964) to 17,000 at the end of the Plan (April 1973) 

(Adapted from the Ridvan 1973 message of the Universal House of Justice)

1911: The Baha’is in Iran “founded the Tarbíyat School for Girls in Tihrán”

In 1911, nearly a century ago, you founded the Tarbíyat School for Girls in Tihrán, which provided girls of all backgrounds with an opportunity for education, encouraging, in this way, progressive thinking and making an indelible mark on society.  
(The Universal House of Justice, from a message dated 20 June 2008 addressed to the Baha’is in Iran) 

Philippines 1972: Three thousand people marched in the funeral procession of three Iranian Baha’i students and six hundred went to the burial site

Message from the Universal House of Justice:

19 September 1972

To the Bahá'ís of the world

With feelings of deep sorrow we relate to the Bahá'í world the distressing circumstances surrounding the murder of three Iranian Bahá'í students, pioneers to the Philippine Islands.

Parviz Sadiqi, Faramarz Vujdani and Parviz Furughi were among a number of Iranian Bahá'í youth who answered the call for pioneers. With eleven others they registered at the Universities in Mindanao with the intention of completing their studies and proclaiming the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. These three had conceived the plan of making teaching trips to a rural area inhabited by Muslims. When on 31 July the authorities of Mindanao State University were notified that they had left the campus the previous day and had not yet returned, search parties were immediately formed and the assistance of the police and local authorities obtained. After inquiries and search, led entirely by President Tamano of Mindanao State University, the bodies of the three young men were found in a shallow grave. They had been shot, grievously mutilated and two had been decapitated. The bodies were removed and given Bahá'í burial in a beautiful plot donated for the purpose.