Tisha B’Av, also known as "The Ninth of Av," is a fast day that commemorates the destruction of the two Temples. It also happens to be the day that many other calamities have befallen the Jewish people, some of which are listed below:
- 587 BCE (3338)- The First Temple is destroyed by the Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar. The Jews are sent into what later became known as the Babylonian Exile.
- 70 CE (3830)- The Second Temple is destroyed by the Romans, led by Titus.
- 135 CE (3895) - The Romans defeat Bar Kochba's last fortress, Betar, and destroy his army. Bar Kochba himself is killed along with more than 100,000 other Jews. The Roman Emperor Hadrian turns Jerusalem into a Roman city.
- 1290 (5050) - King Edward I of England signs an edict expelling all Jews from England.
- 1492 (5252) - The Alhambra Decree takes effect, expelling the Jews from Spain and from all Spanish territories.
- 1914 (5674) - World War I begins when Germany declares war on Russia, setting the stage for World War II and the Holocaust.
- 1940 (5700) - Himmler presents his plan for the "Final Solution" to the Jewish problem to the Nazi Party.
- 1942 (5702) - Nazis begin deporting Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto.
Sources: Aish.com and "Jewish Literacy," by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin.