Most of us have heard or read about the first black pilot in World War One, the African-American pilot Eugene Bullard. But little do we know about the black Ottoman pilot serving in the Ottoman Air Force. His name was Ahmed Ali Efendi, also known as Arab ...
Ottoman Conquest of Athens, 1456-58
On June 4, 1456, the city of Athens was conquered by the Ottoman general Turahanoğlu Ömer Bey during the reign of Fatih Sultan Mehmed. After the conquest of the city, the last Duke Francesco II Acciaioli fled to the Acropolis, where he held out for tw ...
Siege and Conquest of Constantinople, 1453
Sultan Murad II besieged the city of Constantinople in 1422 but the walls were too strong for an army without proper siege engines. Meanwhile, a revolt also broke out in Anatolia. Therefore, the Sultan had to abandon the siege to deal with the ...
Yavuz Sultan Selim (Selim I) ascends the Ottoman throne
On April 25, 1512, Yavuz Sultan Selim ascended the Ottoman throne in Istanbul. Later, he also became the First Ottoman Caliph in 1517.
The Battle of Jebel Hamrin, March 25, 1917, WW1
On this day, 25 March 1917 CE, the Sixth Ottoman army under the command of Ali İhsan Bey defeated the British forces in the Battle of Jebel Hamrin. Led by General Keary, the British Indian force of 8,000 men was concerned to prevent Ali İhsan Bey's force ...
Ottomans crush Allied fleet, Dardanelles Campaign, World War I
HMS Irresistible abandoned 18 March 1915 | Wikimedia On this day, 18 March 1915 CE, the Ottomans pushed back a naval attack launched by the Allies on the Dardanelles Straits and secured a massive victory in World War I. With three battleships sunk and ...
First Medical School in the Ottoman Empire
On 14 March 1827 CE, the first modern Army Medical School (Tiphane-i Amire) of the Ottoman Empire was established by Sultan Mahmud II in Istanbul. At this school, the teaching was conducted in French and based exclusively on European medical texts. Sulta ...
Russians capture Erzurum, Caucasus Campaign, WW1
On this day, 16 February 1916, the Ottoman city of Erzurum fell to the Russians after Mahmut Kamil was forced to order the 3rd Army to retreat from the city. However, Erzurum reverted to Ottoman control after the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in ...
The Battle of Sarikamish, 1914-15
On the 17th of January, 1915 CE, the Battle or Operation of Sarikamish ended with a disastrous Ottoman defeat in World War I. The hostilities were opened by the Russians, therefore, on December 21, 1914, Enver Pasha personally led the Third Army in a cou ...
Sultan Abdul Hamid II dies
On this day, 10 February 1918, the 34th Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II died after 9 years of his deposition from the Ottoman throne. He ruled for 33 years from 1876 to 1909. When he was dethroned, he was sent to Thessaloniki (now in Greece). In 1912, when ...