In 1906 Berlin was the host of a conference to consider radiotelegraph standards. It was attended by representatives of 29 nations and culminated in the International Radiotelegraph Convention. An annex to the convention eventually became known as ITU Radio Regulations. At the conference it was also decided that the Bureau of the International Telegraph Union would also act as the conference's central administrator. The name International Telecommunication Union was adopted in 1932 to reflect its expanded responsibilities over radio and the telephone. On 15 November 1947, the ITU entered into an agreement with the newly created United Nations to become a specialized agency within the UN system.

The mandate of the ITU has broadened with the advent of new communications technologies. It promotes the shared global use of the radio spectrum, facilitates international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, assists in developing and coordinating worldwide technical standards, and works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world. It is also active in the areas of broadband Internet, optical communications (including optical fibre technologies), wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, satellite-based meteorology, TV broadcasting, amateur radio, and next-generation networks.

Based in Geneva, Switzerland with regional offices on every continent. the ITU's global membership included 193 countries as well as more than 1,000 businesses, academic institutions, and international and regional organizations. [ITU Website]

Agnes Baldwin Alexander wrote to `Abdu'l-Bahá declaring her belief in Bahá'u'lláh. [BFA2:159; SBR176; PH32]
• She had heard of the Bahá'í Faith from Charlotte Dixon while staying in a pension in Rome. She stayed in Rome for three months studying prophecies then travelled to Paris for further study with May Bolles for another three and one half months. [BFA2:159; SBR176]
• She left Paris in the Spring of 1901 for London, New England, Oakland, Ca and finally Honolulu. On returning to Hawaii in December 1901 she became the first Bahá'í to set foot in Hawaii. [BFA2:159–60; SBR177]

Thomas Breakwell, an Englishman living in the United States, learned of the Bahá'í Faith in Paris from May Bolles. Within three days he became a believer and immediately wrote to `Abdu'l-Bahá. [AB74–5; BW7:707]
• For May Bolles' own account see BW7:707–11.
• He is the first male British Bahá'í. [BFA2:154]
• He is designated by Shoghi Effendi the `first English believer'. [GPB259]
• He is the first Western Bahá'í to pay Huqúqu'lláh. [BW7:710]
• See also AB74–80; BFA2:154; SEBW6572.

Hippolyte Dreyfus heard of the Bahá'í Faith from May Bolles in Paris and soon after accepted it. [AB81–2]
• He was designated by Shoghi Effendi the `first Frenchman to embrace the Faith'. [GPB259]
• He was the first European Bahá'í to visit Iran. [AB81]
• After his marriage to Laura Clifford Barney they adopted the surname Dreyfus-Barney. [AB81]

The publication of Le Livre des Sept Preuves in Paris by A. L. M. Nicolas. It was a French translation of the Báb's Dalá'il-i-Sab'ih. [BBR39]
• It may be downloaded here.
• English translation The Seven Proofs by Peter Terry.

Thomas Breakwell died from tuberculosis in Paris. (b. 31 May, 1872 in Woking) [AB77; BBD46; SEBW70]
• `Abdu'l-Bahá appeared to know this without being told. [AB78-9; SEBW70]
• See AB79, SEBW71–2, SWAB187–9 and the Utterance Project for `Abdu'l-Bahá's eulogy.
• Shoghi Effendi designated him one of three 'luminaries shedding brilliant lustre on annals of Irish, English and Scottish Bahá'í communities', together with John Esslemont and George Townshend. [MBW174]
• See Wikipedia for an account of his life.
• For biographical information see The Early Years of the British Bahá'í Community 1898-1911 p82-83.
• See Cimetière de Pantin for the location of his resting place c/w photos.
  Thomas Breakwell died in relative obscurity, a victim of tuberculosis in a poor quarter of the city of Paris. His earthly remains now lie in the communal charnel house at the cemetery of Pantin. It was not until the summer of 1997 that a dignified but suitably modest monument to mark his resting place was finally unveiled to the world. [The Life of Thomas Breakwell by Rajwantee Lakshiman-Lepain p10-11]
• See The Life of Thomas Breakwell by Rajwantee Lakshiman-Lepain. iiiii
• See the narration of the Tablet of Visitation for Thomas Breakwell by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Arabic with English subtitles. The transliteration and recitation of the Tablet was by Adib Masumiam with the design and editing of the video by Violetta Zein.
  The original Arabic text can be found here and the English translation for the Tablet can be found in Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l‑Bahá No 158.
• For the story of the revelation of the Tablet see Memories of Nine Years in Akká by Youness Afroukhteh as translated by Riaz Masrour, p. 132-137)

Since the assassination of the Sháh's father in 1896 the Bahá'í community in Iran had been scapegoated and the oppression was increasing. In 1902 Muzaffar al-Din Sháh and his prime minister were in Paris staying at the Elysèe Palace Hotel. 'Abdu'l-Bahá had a petition for him and Lua Getsinger was asked to deliver it. She and Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney requested an audience with the Sháh but they were refused by the prime minister. She was told that he was not receiving anyone as his son was gravely ill and likely to die. Lua asked if he would see her the following day should his son be healed and consent was granted. That night the Bahá'ís of Paris held a prayer vigil till dawn. As promised, Lua was granted access and put the petition directly in the Sháh's hand. She heard him say that he would do all that was within his power but in 1903 a savage rash of persecution broke out and, upon the advice of his prime minister, the Sháh did nothing believing that it was better to let the restless population vent rage on the Bahá'ís then on the rich and powerful foreigners who might have been victimized. The prime minister was replaced in mid-1903 and the persecutions eased. In 1907 the Sháh did intervene on behalf of the Bahá'ís. [Find a grave; LDNW18-19]
• For other accounts see The Flame p66-70 and LGHC59-60.
• See article by Mariam Haney entitled In Behalf of the Oppressed. [SoW Vol 15 No 8 November, 1924 p230]

A.L.M. Nicolas published his book Seyyed Ali dit le Bab. It was the first work by a western author dedicated entirely to the Báb, His movement and His teachings. (Conflict: See 1865)
• English translation A Prophet of Modern Times by Peter Terry.

  It is "(a) history of the Bábí movement up to 1852. Nicolas gives a list of sources for this book on pp. 48-53. It is interesting to note that among his oral sources are four of the leading Bahá'ís of that period, who had been designated by Bahá'u'lláh as 'Hands of the Cause': Mírzá 'Alí-Muhammad, 'Ibn-i-Asdaq: Mullá 'Al-Akbar-i-Sháhmírzádí, Hají Akhund; Mírzá Muhammad-Táqíy-i-Abharí, 'Ibn-i-Abhar; and Mírzá Hasan-i-Adíb. The other two oral sources named are Siyyid 'Ismu'lláh, who was presumably Siyyid Mihdíy-i-Dihají, and Mírzá Yahyá, Subh-i-Azál." [BBR38-39]

• The preamble to his book has an image that is supposedly of the Báb, but the portrait does not seem to be an authentic representation.

• William Miller also reproduced Nicolas's image on page 17 of his polemical work, The Bahá'í Faith: Its History and Teachings. (South Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1974). ['The Bab in the World of Images', Bahá'í Studies Review, vol. 19, June 2013, 171–90.]
• See also WOB83 for other missionaries who wrote polemics against the Bahá'í Faith.

The publication of Le Beyan Arabe in Paris by A. L. M. Nicolas. It was a French translation of the Arabic Bayán. [BBR39]
• English translation The Arabic Bayán by Peter Terry.

Lady Blomfield and her daughter Mary learned of the Faith at a reception in Paris. [CH1–2; ER95; SBR22; SEBW101, SCU17]
• For accounts of Lady Blomfield's life see ER88–97 and SEBW101–10.
• The first person of Irish birth to accept the Faith in the British Isles appears to have been Sara, Lady Blomfield (nee Ryan) in London in 1907. She had been born in County Tipperary, Ireland, in 1859. [Regional Council website]

For obvious reasons, the treatment of aviation matters was a subject at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. The conference was the first political effort to develop the doctrines of international law relating to aerial navigation. Delegates disagreed about the right of foreign aircraft to fly over national territory. It was resolved to create an Aeronautical Commission charged to prepare a convention on international aerial navigation. The result was the creation of the International Commission for Air Navigation under the authority of the League of Nations. This Paris Convention was the first successful attempt at common regulation of international air navigation and laid the foundations of air law.

A proposal was formally taken up by France and submitted to the other principal Allied powers who received it favourably. This action then resulted in the drawing up of the International Air Convention, which was signed by 26 of the 32 Allied and Associated powers represented at the Paris Peace Conference and was ultimately ratified by 38 States. It should be noted that this Convention took over all the principles that had already been formulated by the Conference that had been held in 1910 in Paris. The Convention was ultimately in force for thirty-three States by 1940.

The U.S. government extended an invitation to 55 States to attend an International Civil Aviation Conference in Chicago in 1944. Known then and today more commonly as the 'Chicago Convention', this landmark agreement laid the foundation for the standards and procedures for peaceful global air navigation. It set out as its prime objective the development of international civil aviation "…in a safe and orderly manner", and such that air transport services would be established "on the basis of equality of opportunity and operated soundly and economically." On 4 April 1947, upon sufficient ratifications to the Chicago Convention, the International Civil Aviation Authority came into being. The first official ICAO Assembly was held in Montreal in May of that year. On 3 October 1947 the ICAO became a UN specialized agency.

Today the ICAO has 193 Members States with headquarters located in the Quartier international de Montréal of Montreal, Quebec, Canada with seven Regional Offices throughout the world. [Chicago Convention; 1919 Paris Convention; ICAO website]

`Abdu'l-Bahá gave a talk that has been entitled, "Eleven essentials: the Bahai principles as taught by Abdu'l-Baha in London". ['Abdu'l-Bahá Speaks]

He left London for Paris. [AB154; SBR25, In the Footsteps of 'Abdu'l-Bahá p22]

• See ABL113 for details of His last day in London. He left from Victoria Station.
• He was accompanied by many Bahá'ís from England who attended many of the public meeting at which He spoke in Paris. This group included Marion Jack, Ethel Rosenberg, Lady Bloomfield and her two daughters. [NBAD47, SYH42]
• He remained in Paris for nine weeks. [AB159; GPB280]
• For details of His visit see AB159–68.
• For `Abdu'l-Bahá's talks given in Paris see PT.

The start of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's third stay in France. It lasted 2 month and 9 days.
• It is quite probable that 'Abdu'l-Bahá stayed with Hippolyte and Laura Dreyfus-Barney at 15, rue Greuze for a couple of nights before moving to the apartment at 4, avenue de Camoēns which had been prepared for Him by them. The apartment was in a building that was relatively new having been built in 1910. It was one block away from the Trocadéro Gardens and the Eiffel Tower stood just across the River Seine. It had a drawing room that could easily accommodate 75-100 people and came with a French maid who performed the domestic functions and who answered the bell. The apartment was purchase by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of France in 1996. [ABF62, 65, 68-71, 85 Sur les pas de 'Abdu'l-Bahá à Paris by Paul Hakim, SoW Vol 2 No 14 p3-4]
• Some members of His entourage stayed at the Grand Hötel de Passy (now Hötel Passy-Eiffel) some ten minutes walk away. [ABF84]

In the morning 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave a talk at His apartment at #4 Avenue de Camoens. During the talk Muhammad Qazvíní and Siyyid Hasan Taqízádih entered the room. The former had written an introduction for and was the force behind the publication of Kitáb-i-Nuqtatu'l-Káf, a book that supposedly was an early history of the Faith but in reality was heavily biased to the the views of Mírzá Yahya. 'Abdu'l-Bahá had had Mírzá Abdu'l-Fadl write a refutation to the book. Both men had additional dinner engagements with 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His visit. ['Abdu'l-Bahá's Meetings with Two Prominent Iranians, World Order, Fall 1998 Vol 30, no 1 pp35-46, ABF71-76]
• In the afternoon all were invited to meet Him at #22 rue Ledru- Rollin pré-Saint-Germais-sur-Seine outside the walls of Paris. The purpose was to visit a project run by Mons. V. Ponsonaille and his wife to provide some comfort to the poor children in an underprividged quarter of the city. For an account of this event see Glimpses of Abdul'Bahá in Paris by Alice Beede.[ABF76-79; SYH45]
  • See A Glimpse of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Paris by Alice R. Beede. [SoW Vol 2 No 18 February 7, 1912 p6]

'Abdu'l-Bahá gave a talk before a group of English Bahá'ís which was given the title The Duty of Kindness and Sympathy towards Strangers and Foreigners. [PT15-17]
• In the evening He spoke at the Dreyfus-Barney home. [ABF79-82]

In the morning 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke in HIs apartment about doing the will of God and not just speaking about it. [SoW Vol 2 no 16 December 31, 1911 p3]
• In the afternoon He met again with some students and others at the Hôtel de Passy. [ABF84-85]

In the morning 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke of the relationship between East and West, The Need for Union Between the Peoples of the East and West. [PT21-22,ABF89-90]
• The evening talk was given at the Dreyfus-Barney home. God Comprehends all: He Cannot be Comprehended. [PT23-27, ABF9295]
• The talk, The Sun of Truth, shown as being given on the 22nd of October, was perhaps delivered this day. [PT20-33, ABF100-102]

News of the Battle of Benghazi (17 October) was headline news. It was one of the opening salvos of the Turko-Italian War and began on the 17th of October when Italian invasion forces began their bombardment of the Turkish garrison. The Turks were forced to abandon the city and there were many lives lost, Italians, Turks and civilians.
• His talk, The Pitiful Causes of War, and the Duty of Everyone to Strive for Peace. [ABF96-100 PT28-30]
• See as well SoW Vol 2 No 14 November 23, 1911 p5 for His talk on the Battle of Benghazi.
• The talk was attended by Remi de Gourmont, literary critic, essayist, poet and writer. The following day his editorial, "Le Béhhaïsmie: les idées dujour" was published in the newspaper Le France. [ABF95n287, 98]

In the morning 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave a talk at His apartment. God's Greatest Gift to Man. [PT41-43]
• A different version of the same talk was recorded by Mary Hanford Ford. [ABF111-112]
• In the evening 'Abdu'l-Bahá was driven to 59, avenue de La Bourdonnais by Hippolyte Dreyfus where He spoke at the Société théosophique of Paris. This talk was reported in a number of French newspapers and was published in Talks by Abdul Baha Given in Paris p117-124. [ABF1113-118]

In the afternoon 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave a talk at His apartment on the relation between God and man entitled, The Clouds that Obscure the Sun of Truth. [ABF1118-119, PT43-45]
• A second talk was given at His apartment, The Benefits of God to Man. [ABF120-121, PT49-51].
• In the evening He spoke at the Dreyfus-Barney home. He spoke about how religious leaders have mislead their congregations into denying the divinity of other Manifestations. Religious Prejudices. [ABF121-124, PT45-49]

The title for 'Abdu'l-Bahá's morning talk was Worldly riches do not help Spirit. [ABF133, SoW vol 2 no 16 p4-5]
• 'Abdu'l-Bahá was invited to dinner at 29, rue Brézin, the home of Madeleine Jenny Sacy, the widow of French Bahá'í Gabriel Sacy (1858-1903). He had known Sacy in Egypt where he died unexpectedly. Sacy had been a Syrian Christian who, upon becoming a Bahá'í had a remarkable faculty for interpreting the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments. Colonialism, Nationalism and Jewish Immigration to Palestine by Kamran Ekbal. p7 says that he carried messages from 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Leo Tolstoy in 1901.
• That same day He spoke at the home of the sister of Hippolyte Dreyfus, Yvonne and Paul Mayer May at 21, boulevard Beauséjour. [ABF135]

The morning talk in His apartment was on The Evolution of Matter and Development of the Soul. [ABF149-151, PT64-67]
• The Persian students who had been frequent visitors paid one last visit before departing for their place of study.
• In the evening He spoke at the Dreyfus-Barney home on the evolution of matter and the development of the soul. [ABF152]

This morning's talk at His apartment was Spiritual Aspiration in the West. [ABF161-163, PT70-72]
• In the evening He spoke at the studio of Edwin and Josephine Scott at 17, rue Boissonade, American artists living in Paris. The lecture has been called Lecture Given at a Studio in Paris. [ABF163-165, PT72-74]
• Another version of the lecture, this time entitled, Aims and Ambitions of Bahaies: Spoken by Abdul Baha in Paris, November 6th, 1911 was published in Star of the West. It was submitted by Madame d'Ange d'Astre, considered to be the first French Bahá'í from a Catholic background. [SoW Vol 2 no 14 23 November 1911 p15; SYH46]

The morning talk at 4, avenue de Camoëns was on The True Meaning of Baptism by Water and Fire. [ABF171-172, PT81-83]
• In the afternoon He was invited to speak to the Alliance Spiritualiste at Salle de l'Athénée, 21, rue du Vieux-Colombier. Discourse at "l'Alliance Spiritualiste was the title given to His talk. The meeting was attended by about 40 people. Spiritualism was a religion founded in part on the writings of the Swedish mystic Emmanuel Swedenborg (1699-1772). [PT83-88; SoW Vol 2 No 17 Janurary 19, 1912 p2; SYH41]

In the morning He gave a talk at His apartment on the The First Principle—Search after Truth. [PT135-137; ABF180-181, SoW Vol 3 no1 p3-4]
• `Abdu'l-Bahá gave a talk later entitled The Evolution of the Spirit at 15 Rue Greuze, Paris, the home of the Dreyfus-Barneys. [Paris Talks p88-94; ABF182-186]

In the morning at His apartment, 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave a talk on The Second Principle—The Unity of Mankind and the third principle, that religion should be the cause of love and affection. [ABF186-191; PT138-141]
• In the afternoon He visited the art exhibition Salon d'automne at the Grand Palais. The theme that year was decorative arts. He would have seen the works of some of France's top furniture designers.
• In the evening he attended a reception at the home of the operatic composer Herman Bemerg. [ABF188-189]

In the morning in His apartment 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke about The Sixth Principle—Means of Existence. [PT151-154; ABF198-200]
• In another talk on this day He spoke about how He wished the friend to progress spiritually. [PT151-154; ABF200; The Desires and Prayers of 'Abdu'l‑Bahá]

In the morning in His apartment 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke on The Seventh Principle—Equality of Men. [PT154-155ABF201]
• He spoke again, presumably in the evening but that talk has not been translated. [ABF201]

In the morning in His apartment at 4 Avenue de Camoëns, He spoke on the theme of non-interference in religion and politics, the ninth principle. [PT157-160; ABF202-204]
• Juan Cole has suggested this talk took place at the Dreyfus residence on the evening of Saturday the 18th of November. [`Abdu'l-Baha on Democracy and the Separation of Religion and State]
• Another translation of the talk can be found in Sen McGlinn's book, Church and State: A Post Modern Political Theology p223-226; 404-409.
• His second talk for the day was in the home of Hippolyte and Laura Dreyfus-Barney. This talk has been entitled Concerning Body, Soul and Spirit. [ABF205-207]

In the morning 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke in His apartment on The Eleventh Principle—The Power of the Holy Spirit. [PT163-166; ABF209-210; SoW Vol 3 No 2 April 9, 1912 p6-7]
• In the evening He spoke in the home of Monsieur Dreyfus. The talk has been entitled "Involvement of the faithful in political life, and showing justice in all walks of life. ['Abdu'l-Bahá Speaks]

'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke about the press coverage given to a train accident that claimed the lives of some 20 people in Paris the previous day. He compared this to the apparent indifference to the news that 5,000 people had been killed in the bombing in Tripoli as the Turkish-Italian war raged on there. [ABF221-223; The Cruel Indifference of People towards the Suffering of Foreign Races]
• This talk was published in the Star of the West Let There be Peace.

In a comment not in the transcript of the talk in Promulgation of Universal Peace He is recorded as having said that the Italians left their country:

"in order to persecute the poor Arabs…is nothing else than avarice and greediness".

To Him the occupation of Libya was "an illegal assault.

[Colonialism, Nationalism and Jewish Immigration to Palestine by Kamran Ekbal p19]

• Later in the day He spoke at the home of Mademoiselle Gastea, An Address on Truth. It was published in SoW Vol 2 No 18 February,1912 p3-6.
• 1911-11-25 — Further to the criticism that had been directed toward the Faith, 'Abdu'l-Bahá offered words of encouragement. [ABF227-229; We Must Not Be Discouraged by the Smallness of Our Numbers; PT116-118]
• 1911-11-26 — 'Abdul-Bahá was invited to speak at Temple du Foyer de l'Ame at 7bis, rue Duval (today rue du Pasteru-Wagner). This was the church established by poet and orator Charles Wagner, a liberal Lutheran pastor who was involved in a movement to unite all the reform Protestant churches. [ABF230; Words Spoken by 'Abdu'l‑Bahá in Pastor Wagner's Church (Foyer de l'Ame) in Paris; PT119=123; SYH44]
• 1911-11-27 — 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke in His own apartment in the morning and in the evening at the residence of Edwin and Josephine Scott. Neither of these talks has been translated into English. [ABF235-237]
• 1911-11-28 — In the morning he gave a short talk about the meaning of the spiritual principles on which be had been speaking previously. The talk has been entitled This Great and Glorious Cause [PT167-168; ABF237-238; Eleven Principles; PT127]
• 1911-11-29 —
  In the morning he gave a talk in His apartment. It has not been translated into English.
  • It is possible that the following incident took place that day. A woman came from America to seek out 'Abdu'l-Bahá because her young daughter had told her that Jesus had returned. [ABP238-239; 1911-11-30 —
    It was about this time that 'Abdu'l-Bahá sent four Bahá'ís to Germany to assist with the teaching and the consolidation of the Faith. They were: Lady Blomfield, a Mrs Earl, Mírzá Asadu'lláh-i-Isfáhaání and Mirza Ahmad Sohrab. They remained in Stuttgart until the 7th of December.
    • Lady Blomfield then travelled to Vevey, Switzerland to be with her daughters and to continue working on the collected talks of 'Abdu'l-Bahá for publication. They stayed at the Hôtel Belvedere. [ABF255-256, 275]
  • 1911-12-01 —
    In the evening in the home of Hippolyte and Laura Dreyfus Barney at 15 Rue Greuze 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave His last talk in Paris for this trip. [PT168-172; ABF240-243; SoW Vol 2 No 16 December 31, 1911 p6]
    • 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke about the future of Paris. He said that He could see the day when Paris is "bathed in the light of the Holy Spirit". [SYH48]
  • 1911-12-02 —
    `Abdu'l-Bahá left Paris for Marseilles by train from the Gare de Lyon arriving late in the day. Little is known about His stay in that city save for one talk. [ABF246]
    • See ABF256-260 for some of the places that 'Abdu'l-Baha visited while in Paris for which the visits are undated. Included in the list is His visit to the Senat of the French Republic [PUP72].
    • There are also a number of undated talks and fragments of talks the have been published in a variety of sources. [ABF261-264]
    • See ABF264-268 for a list of persons with whom 'Abdu'l-Bahá had undocumented visits.
  • 1912-12-18 —
    'Abdu'l-Bahá gave a talk at which E. G. Browne was present. He visited `Abdu'l-Bahá several more times while in London. [SoW Vol III no19 2Mar1913 p4, AB346, ABTM277-278]
    • Hájí Abu'l-Hasan-i-Ardakání (Hájí Amín) arrived in London from Paris with three young Persian. He spoke neither English nor French and had had some difficulty in getting from Paris to London. He crossed the English Channel and then found himself back in Paris. His second attempt was successful. [SoW Vol III no19 2Mar1913 p4, AB346–7, ABTM278]
  • 1913-01-21 —
    `Abdu'l-Bahá left London for Paris. [AB371]
    • The visit to Paris lasts several weeks. [AB372; SBR220]
  • 1913-01-23 —
    The start of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's third visit to France. It lasted 2 months and 9 days.
    • After His morning talk He visited and had lunch with Natalie Clifford Barney, the sister of Laura Dreyfus Barney and the daughter of Alice Pike Barney, probably at her salon at 20, rue Jacob.
    • On this day, or perhaps the next, He met the famous French philosopher and writer, Henri Bergson. (Nobel prize for literature 1928). He was a professor at the College de France. 'Abdu'l-Bahá impressed him with His simple proof for the existence of God. [ABF302-304, Bahá'íes de France]
  • 1913-02-06 — During the morning tea 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke to members of His entourage about the Crusades and the Muslim conquest of Spain and the establishment there of a Muslim civilization with many universities. [ABF341-345]

    `Abdu'l-Bahá gave His customary noontime talk on the subject of the religion of the future. In the afternoon He visited Versailles with Hoppolyte Dreyfus. [AB376]

    He met with Professor Inayat Khan (1882-1927) in His apartment at 30 rue Saint-Didier and later attended his musical recital of Sufi poetry accompanied by the vines (guitar) and the tabla. [AP2p117-119]

    Inayat Khan Rehmat Khan was an Indian professor of musicology, singer, exponent of the saraswati vina, poet, philosopher, and pioneer of the transmission of Sufism to the West. [Wikipedia; The Reconciliation of Races and Religions by Thomas Kelly Cheyne]
    A transcript of His address can be found in A Supplement to 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Europe, 1912-1913 V2.2.1 #60
  • 1913-02-13 — 'Abdu'l-Bahá delivered an address to the Paris Theosophical Society at the Theosophical Headquarters, 59 Avenue de la Bourdonnois. ['Abdu'l-Bahá on Divine Philosophy compiled by Elizabeth Fraser Chamberlain p165] .
  • 1913-02-17 —
    For the text of an interview, originally published in 'Abdul Baha on Divine Philosophy, with Pasteur Monnier during which 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke on the relationship between the Bahá'í Faith and Christianity, see Bahá'í Studies Review, vol. 3:1 (1993), with notes by Khazeh Fananapazir.
    • Pasteur Henri Monnier (b. 1871) was the "Professor á la Faculté libre de théologie protestante de Paris", Vice-president of the Protestant Federation of France and Pastor of the Etoile Church [from International Who's Who, 1st ed.]
  • 1913-02-21 — 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed "The Spiritual Alliance" at 14 rue de Trevise in Paris. ['Abdu'l-Bahá on Divine Philosophy compiled by Elizabeth Fraser Chamberlain p175
  • 1913-03-23 — Stanwood Cobb met with 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Paris. At the time was a member of the staff of Porter Sargent's Travel School for Boys. 'Abdu'l-Bahá asked him if they teach spiritual things and Cobb had to admit, to his embarrassment, that there was no time for that.

    During the visit Cobb presented Porter Sargent to 'Abdu'l-Bahá and he was disappointed that to find that his shell of skepticism had not been penetrated. He said that he learned two lessons from the encounter." The first was that skepticism must solve its own problems, in its own way. The second truth, even more important, was that Spirit never forces itself upon the individual. It must be invited." [Memories of 'Abdu'l-Bahá by Stanwood Cobb p 18]

  • 1913-03-30 —
    `Abdu'l-Bahá traveled from Paris to Stuttgart. [AB379]
    • He told His attendants to wear European dress and to discard their oriental headgear. [AB379]
      One of His attendants was Siyyid Ahmad Khamsí, a son of one of the Báqir-Uf (Báqiroff) brothers. [In Memoriam Spiritual father of Peru: Mentor and Counselor Mas'úd Khamsí]
    • He did not tell the Bahá'ís of Stuttgart of His arrival in advance. [AB379]
    • The party arrived on the 1st of April and took rooms in Hotel Marquardt, near the train station. Then He asked His attendant to telephone the Bahá'ís to announce His arrival and invite them to the hotel. [AB379-380]
  • 1913-04-01 — 'Abdu'l-Bahá departed for Stuttgart from Gar de l'Est accompanied by Siyyid Ahmad-i-Báqiroff, Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, Siyyid Asadu'llah-i-Qumi, and Mahmúd Zarqání. It was His first trip to Germany and it lasted for 7 days. [ABF537-538]
  • 1913-05-01 —
    `Abdu'l-Bahá left Stuttgart and returned to Paris. [AB391]
    • The start of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's fourth and last visit to France. It lasted 1 month and 12 days.
  • 1913-06-09 — Paul and Mirra Richard paid one last visit to 'Abdu'l-Bahá at His hotel arriving at 9:30PM. There were 19 documented encounters/visits of this couple with 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His stays in Paris, many of them alone with Him in the latter part of His day ending at midnight. On a number of occasions He asked her to speak, other times He would send her to a meeting as the speaker and on at least one occasion she spoke on His behalf when he was too ill to attend. This was remarkable considering that neither Mirra nor her husband considered themselves as Bahá'ís. [ABFsee index]

    A short biography: Blance Rachel Mirra Alfassa (b. 21 February 1878, d. 17 November 1973 Pondicherrry, India). She was the daughter of Sephardic Jews from Turkey and Egypt. She studied art at the Academy des Beaux Arts in Paris. In 1897 she married the French painter Henry François Morisott and they had a son (b.1898). They divorced in 1908 and she married the French lawyer Paul Antoine Richard. Around 1905 she became involved with the occult movement, first in France and from 1906-10907 in Algeria. In 1914 she and Paul left for India and met the Indian mystic Sri Aurobindo at Pondicherry. They returned to France briefly 1915-1916 and from 1916 to 1920 she and Paul were in Japan. In 1920 they returned to Pondicherry and from then until the end of her life she was associated with Sri Aurobindo's ashram. After his passing in 1950 she became the head and was know as "the Mother". [ABF339n815]

    Three of her books are: Words of Long Ago by The Mother (Mirra Richard), Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publications 1994, The Mother-Collected Works Vol 2-Words of Long Ago and The Mother (Questions and Answers 1950-51.

    Paul Richard's biographical book was called Without Passport: The Life and Work of Paul Richard covers the period from his birth to 1919. He was a lawyer in the Paris Court of Appeals and it is likely that he learned of the Faith from Hippolyte Dreyfus.

  • 1913-06-12 —
    `Abdu'l-Bahá left Paris for Marseilles, arriving the same evening. [AB395]

    In total 'Abdu'-Bahá spent about 171 days in Paris.

    3 October to 2 December 1911 - 60 days

    21 January to 30 March 1913 - 69 days

    1 May to 12 June 1913 - 42 days

    Total 171 days

    • See David Merrick's map for the places visited by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Paris.
    • See PG117-118 for 'Abdu'l-Bahá continuing concern for Paris in 1919.
  • 1913-07-16 — The 6e Congrès International du Progrès Religieux (Chrétiens Progressifs et Libres-Croyants) [6th International Congress of Religious Progress (Progressive Christians and Free Believers)] was held in Paris. Over twenty of the clergy that 'Abdu'l-Bahá had met in His travels in Britain, Canada, the United States and France attended. 'Abdu'l-Bahá's photograph was published amongst those invited to attend and inserted in the proceedings of the Congress. Hippolyte Dreyfus presented the Bahá'í address. [ABF411note 977]
  • 1914-00-04 — 'Abdu'l-Bahá was forced to expel Tammaddun'ul-Mulk for corrupt behaviour. He was from Shiraz and had been living in Paris for several years. He had been part of His entourage in 1911. [ABF19]
  • 1919-01-18 —
    The commencement of the Paris Peace Conference in Versailles.
    • Ali Kuli Khan was named as a member of Persia's Peace Delegation to the Versailles. [SUP45]
  • 1920-07-19 — Shoghi Effendi departed from France two weeks after receiving 'Abdu'l-Bahá's permission to study at Oxford. According to Dr J. Fallscheer, the German woman physician that 'Abdu'l-Bahá had engaged to attend to the ladies of His household, 'Abdu'l-Bahá had decided to send Shoghi Effendi to England while he was still in high school. [PG137-138]
  • 1928-12-20 —
    Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney, (b. 12 Apr 1873, Paris, France, d. 20 Dec 1928, Paris, France), Disciple of Abdu'l-Bahá, passed away in Paris. He was buried in Cimetiere de Montmartre in Paris. [UD84–5; BN No 29 January 1929 p2]
    • See Find a grave for a succinct biography.
    • For Shoghi Effendi's eulogy of him see BW3:210–14 and UD84–5.
    • Shoghi Effendi's letter to his widow.
    • See Biography of Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney by Laura Clifford Barney and Shoghi Effendi, edited by Thomas Linard.
  • 1936-00-00 — The publication of Massacres de Babis en Perse by A.L.M. Nicolas.
  • 1939-02-28 —
    The passing of Louis Alphonse Daniel Nicolas, signing A.L.M. Nicolas , (b. March 27 , 1864 in Rasht, Iran) in Paris. He was an historian and French orientalist, official interpreter of the Legation French abroad, and France's consul general in Tabriz.
          After reading Gobineau's Trois ans en Asie, 1855-1858 he checked all the information Gobineau had written in his book, corrected some of it, and then began to translate the writings of the Báb. Attracted by this young doctrine, he converted to Bábism and thus became the first Western Bábí. He was the first to translate works of the Báb into French: The Arabic Bayán and the Persian Bayán, and wrote various works, including Seyyed Ali Mohamed dit le Báb (1905), an Essai sur le Chéikhisme (1911) and several articles in newspapers such as Review of the Muslim World. Nicolas became knight of the Legion of Honour in 1909.
    • Moojan Momen says of him, "No European scholar has contributed so much to our knowledge of the life and teachings of the Báb as Nicholas. His study of the life of the Báb and his translations of several of the most important books of the Báb remain of unsurpassed value." [BBR36]
    • His important collection of manuscripts were auctioned and the items relevant to the Bahá'í and Bábí Faiths were purchased by the Bahá'í World Centre.
    • See BW8p885-887 for An Interview with A. L. M. Nicolas of Paris by Edith Sanderson.
    • See a short biography by Nader Nasiri Moghaddam in Encyclopaedia Iranica Online.
    • A chronological list of his publications:
      • Le Livre des Sept Preuves [Dalá'il-i-Sab'ih translated from Persian into French], Paris, 1902, 68 pp.
      • A propos de deux manuscrits 'Bábís' de la Bibliothèque Nationale, Revue de l'Histoire des Religions, Paris, volume 47, 1903, pp. 58-73
      • Le Béyan Arabe [Bayán al-'arabiyya translated from Arabic into French], Paris, 1905, 235 pp.
      • Seyyed Ali Mohammed dit le Báb [biography of the Báb, selections translated into English in this volume], Paris, 1905, 458 pp.
      • En Perse: Constitution [translation by A.L.M. Nicolas], Revue du Monde Musulman, Paris, volume 1, 1907 (décembre 1906), p. 86-100
      • Sur la Volonté Primitive et l'Essence Divine d'après le Báb, Revue de l'Histoire des Religions, Paris, volume 55, 1907, pp. 208-212
      • Essais sur le Chéïkhisme, 4 volumes :
      • Cheïkh Ahmed Lahçahi, Paris, volume 1, 1910
      • Séyyèd Kazem Rechti, Paris, volume 2, 1914
      • Le Chéïkhisme. La Doctine, Paris, volume 3, 1911 [extract from Revue du Monde Musulman]
      • La Science de Dieu, Paris, volume 4, 1911
      • Le Club de la fraternité [translation of an article by Atrpet by A.L.M. Nicolas], Revue du Monde Musulman, Paris, volume 13, 1911, pp. 180-184
      • Le Dossier russo-anglais de Seyyed Ali Mohammed dit le Báb, Revue du Monde Musulman, Paris, volume 14, 1911, pp. 357-363
      • Le Béyan Persan [Bayán-i-fársí translated from Persian into French], four volumes, 1911-1914
      • Abdoul-Béha et la situation, Revue du Monde Musulman, Paris, volume 21, 1912, pp. 261-267
      • Le Béhahis et le Báb, Journal Asiatique, Paris, volume 222, 1933, pp. 257-264
      • Qui est le successeur du Báb? Paris, 1933, 16 pp.
      • Quelques Documents relatifs au Babisme, Journal Asiatique, Paris, volume 224, 1934, pp. 107-142
      • Le Báb astronome, Revue de l'Histoire des Religions, Paris, volume 114, 1936, pp. 99-101
      • Massacres de Babis en Perse, Paris, 1936, 42 pp.

      [A Short Biography of A. L. M. Nicholas by Peter Terry 2008]
  • 1948-12-09 — The crime of genocide was defined in international law in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide. The Genocide Convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948. The Convention entered into force on 12 January 1951. By April 2022, 153 nations have ratified the Genocide Convention and over 80 nations have provisions for the punishment of genocide in domestic criminal law.

    Every year on 9 December, the United Nations marks the adoption of the Genocide Convention, which is also the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. [Ratification of the Genocide Convention]

    The crime of genocide has three elements: 1. Acts of genocide committed with, 2. intent to destroy, in whole or in part, 3. a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. For more detailed information see Genocide Watch. On that site Dr Gregory Stanton lists the ten states of genocide: Classification, Symolization, Discrimination, Dehumanization, Organization, Polarization, Preparation, Persecution, Extermination and Denial. [Ten Stages]. iiiii

  • 1948-12-10 —
    The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It set out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages. [United Nations]

    Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognized freedom of religion as a central value of the post-World War II international legal order. The right was cemented in Article 18 of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

    • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR); also here.
    • PDF in English.
    • The history of the document.
    • The Drafters.
    • See a presentation prepared by Tony Michel February of 2020.
  • 1953-04-30 — Messages from Shoghi Effendi regarding a victory in France:
    
    "Finally share the heart-warming news of the impending establishment of the long-overdue Hazíratu'l-Quds in the French capital through the conclusion of an agreement to purchase a nine thousand pound property situated in the best residential quarter of the city. Kiyani's spontaneous, generous contribution is solely responsible for the achievement of the great victory of the establishment of the institution designed to serve as the administrative headquarters of both the present Paris Assembly and the projected French National Spiritual Assembly." [MBWp141]
    "The second Ḥaẓíratu'l-Quds to be acquired during this period was one in Paris, destined to become the national administrative headquarters of the French Bahá'í community. This achievement was announced in the Guardian's cablegram to the Forty-Fifth Annual Bahá'í Convention of the United States Bahá'ís on April 30, 1953, as follows: "Heart-warming news (of the) impending establishment (of the) long overdue Ḥaẓíratu'l-Quds (in the) French capital through (the) conclusion (of an) agreement (to) purchase (a) nine thousand pound property situated (in the) best residential quarter (of the) city." The acquisition of this property was made possible by the spontaneous and generous contribution of a single believer, Mr. Hussayn Quli Kiyani, recently come to Paris from Persia. The formal dedication of the Paris Ḥaẓíratu'l-Quds took place on July 4, 1953, with Dr. Ugo Giachery, Hand of the Cause of God, coming from Rome to assist in the ceremonies." [BW12p55]
    • 1974-08-18 —
      Laura Clifford Dreyfus-Barney, (b. 30 Nov 1879, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA) passed away in Paris. [BW16:296]
      • For her obituary see BW16:535–8.
      • She was buried at Cimetiere de Passy, Paris, City of Paris, Île-de-France, France.
      • She is best known for having compiled the Bahá'í text Some Answered Questions from her interviews with `Abdu'l-Bahá during her visit to Akka between 1904 and 1906. [Wikipedia]
      • See Laura Barney's Discipleship to 'Abdu'l-Bahá: Tracing a Theological Flow from the Middle East to the United States, 1900–1916 by Layli Maria Miron in The Journal of Bahá'í Studies 28.1-2 2018.
      • She was the only Western woman to have been designated as "Amatu'l-Bahá" (Handmaid of Bahá) by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. [Some Answered Questions" and Its Compiler by Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani published in Lights of Irfan, 18, pages 445; M9YA314]
      • At the end of the war she placed her faith in the League of Nations and represented the International Council of Women in that body, playing an important role in cultural exchange. She was the only woman named by the League Council to sit on the Sub-Committee of experts on Education, a post which she held for many years, beginning in 1926. On 23 July 1925 she was appointed Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur. In that same year she formed under the aegis of the League of Nations the 'Liaison Committee of Major International Organizations to promote through Education better Understanding between Peoples and Classes' and became a permanent member of the committee as well as its liaison officer. In 1934 she became a member of the Advisory Committee of the League of Nations on Teaching; she was also a member of the French Committee on Intellectual Co-operation. [BW15p537]
      • See A Glimpse into the Life of Laura Dreyfus-Barney by Mona Khademi for a brief biography of Laura Barney and her family.
      • My Interview with Laura Dreyfus-Barney by Jack McLean (1967)
      • See The Life of Laura Barney by Mona Khademi published by George Ronald in 2022.
        • See page 67-71 for an account of her recording of the "table talks" of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
        • See page399 for her listing in Who's Who in America.
    • 1976-08-03 —
      An International Teaching Conference was held in Paris, attended by some 5,700 Bahá'ís. [BW17:81; DM416; VV33]
      • For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW17:131–2.
      • For the message of Kurt Waldheim, Secretary-General of the United Nations, see BW17:140.
      • For pictures see BW17:109, 117–19.
    • 1988-00-00 — Branches of the Bahá'í International Community's Office of Public Information were established in Paris and London. [VV54]
    • 1993-00-04 — EBBF (Ethical Business Building the Future) was registered in Paris as an official non-profit association. Its statutes provided that membership was open to Bahá'ís and non-Bahá'ís alike. [ebbf]
    • 1997-06-14 — When Thomas Breakwell died of tuberculosis in Paris in 1902 his grave site was leased for five years, after which time, as no surviving members of his family kept up the payments on the plot, his bones were disinterred, cleaned, bundled and numbered, and as is the custom, placed in the cemetery's charnel house. The section where Breakwell's bones were stacked has long since been sealed and other sections built against it, which in turn have been filled. Since the time when Breakwell's bones were removed, two others had been buried in this plot and removed.

      When it became known to the Bahá'ís in Paris that the gravesite was once again vacant, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of France applied for permission to erect a permanent monument on the site. A competition was announced and a number of Bahá'í architects submitted a variety of designs. Cemetery officials were reluctant to give approval for an elaborate monument sothe National Assembly had to settle for a simple but dignified stone.

      Now that the monument is in place, the location has become a focal point of pilgrimage. The Universal House of Justice has encouraged the French Bahá'í community to continue its efforts to retrieve Breakwell's remains from the charnel house and have them returned to their original grave.

      The gathering at his grave site in the Pantin Cemetery in Paris on this day was to commemorate the 95th anniversary of his passing. [BW1997-98p104, 107; The Life of Thomas Breakwell by Rajwantee Lakshiman-Lepain P48-49]