April 12

in History

Shapur Becomes Co-Emperor — Father and son rule Persia together

Ctesiphon, Sasanian Empire (modern Iraq)Classical

240

Shapur Becomes Co-Emperor

Father and son rule Persia together

In the heartland of ancient Persia, Shapur I rose to become co-emperor of the Sasanian Empire alongside his father Ardashir I. Together they conquered the fortress city of Hatra and expanded their dominion across the Middle East. Shapur would go on to become one of Persia's greatest warrior-kings, defeating three Roman emperors and capturing Emperor Valerian himself -- an unprecedented humiliation for Rome that Shapur immortalized in rock reliefs that still survive.

240 AD

Washington, D.C., United StatesEarly 20th Century

1900

Puerto Rico's Foraker Act

An island receives a measure of self-rule

President William McKinley signed the Foraker Act into law, granting Puerto Rico its first taste of civilian self-governance under American rule. The legislation established a civil government on the island, replacing military authority just two years after the Spanish-American War transferred control from Madrid to Washington. While limited in scope, the act marked the beginning of Puerto Rico's complex political relationship with the United States, a relationship still debated today.

1900 AD

Early 20th Century

1927

Shanghai massacre of 1927

Shanghai massacre of 1927: Chiang Kai-shek orders the Chinese Communist Party members executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front.

Shanghai massacre of 1927: Chiang Kai-shek orders the Chinese Communist Party members executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front.[citation needed]

1927 AD