This Day in HistoryThis Day in History is a free service of TheFreeDictionary.comFederation of Malaysia Created- September 16, 2008 The Japanese occupation of the Malayan region during WWII weakened British influence there and unleashed anti-colonial, Malayan nationalism. With the help of the Chinese, the Malayan Communist Party grew increasingly strong, fought the Japanese occupation, and came to threaten British interests. In response, the British established the multi-ethnic Federation of Malaya in 1957 as a part of a wider anti-communist plan. In 1963, "Malaya" became "Malaysia" with the acquisition of what territorieshttp://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/History%20of%20Malaysia Founded- September 15, 2008 USA Today was founded in 1982 with the goal of providing an alternative to relatively colorless, copy-oriented publications like The New York Times. The paper, known for synthesizing news down to easy-to-read-and-comprehend stories, is colorful and bold, with many large diagrams, charts, and photographs. USA Today boasts the second widest circulation of any English-language broadsheet, behind what publicationhttp://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/USA%20Today Harun al-Rashid Becomes Caliph of Greater Arabia- September 14, 2008 Widely considered the greatest Abbasid Caliph, Harun al-Rashid was an educated scholar, lover of poetry, and patron of the arts who ruled Baghdad from 786 to 809. With a vast empire spanning southwest Asia and the northern part of Africa, he was known around the world and had diplomatic relations with both China and Charlemagne's Frankish empire. What famous collection of stories includes a fictional depiction of Harun that is his best-known portrayal in the Westhttp://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Harun%20al-Rashid |