Chronology: Date 1955

date	event	tags	firsts	refs
1955 Dec	The first Samoan woman to become a Bahá'í, Mrs Lotoa Refiti (later Lotoa Rock), enrolled. [Koala News, No. 22, February 1956]	Lotoa Refiti; Samoa	first Samoan woman Bahá'í
1955 15 Nov	'Alí Muhammad Varqá was appointed a Hand of the Cause to succeed his father. [GBF111; MBW91]	Varqá, `Alí-Muhammad; Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Appointments; Varqa
1955 15 Nov	Shoghi Effendi announced that for the construction of the International Bahá'í Archives thirty of the fifty-two pillars, each over seven metres high, had been raised and that half of the nine hundred tons of stone ordered from Italy had been safely delivered at the Port of Haifa. He also said that a contract for over $15,000 had been placed with the tile factory in Utrecht for over 7,000 green tiles to cover the 500 square metres of the roof. [MBW95] He announced as well: the purchase of a plot of land adjacent to the resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf for $100,000, the purchase of the dilapidated house situated south of the Mansion at Bahjí in which 'Abdu'l-Bahá used to receive friends, among them the first party of Western pilgrims after Bahá'u'lláh's passing, a plot of land situated in the neighbourhood of the Shrine of the Báb, and that the formalities had been completed in the purchase of the site of the future Mashriqu'lAdhkár on Mt. Carmel. [MBW78-79, 95] The transfer of the deeds for the above plots of land were being transferred to the name of the Israel branches of the United States, The British, the Persian the Canadian and the Australian Baháa'í National Spiritual Assemblies. [MBW95]	International Bahá'í Archives; Bahji, Israel; Báb, Shrine of; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Haifa; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Tea House of; Arc; Bahá'í World Centre
1955 12 Nov	Hand of the Cause of God Valíyu'lláh Varqá passed away in Stuttgart. For his obituary see BW13:831–834. Shoghi Effendi had appointed him among the first contingent on the 24th of December, 1951. [MoCxxiii]	Varqa, Valiyullah; In Memoriam; Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Births and deaths; Births and deaths; Varqa; Stuttgart; Germany
1955 Oct	Daniel Haumont arrived in the Loyalty Islands and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:453]	Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Islands; Loyalty Islands
1955 23 - 25 Sep	International Teaching Conference was held in Nikko, Japan. [Japan Will Turn Ablaze p87, 97]	Conferences, Bahá'í; Conferences, Teaching; - Conferences, International; Teaching; - First conferences; Nikko; Japan	first conference held in Japan
1955 Sep	Fowzieh Sobhi arrived in British Somaliland from Egypt, the first Bahá'í to reside in the country.	Fowzieh Sobhi; British Somaliland	first pioneer to British Somaliland
1955 Sep-Oct	Bahá'ís in Iran continued to be dismissed from their employment. Bahá'í students were expelled from Shíráz University. [BW18p391]	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution, Education; Persecution; Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Shiraz, Iran; Iran
1955 23 Aug	Shoghi Effendi announced plans to begin construction on the House of Worship in Kampala, Uganda in light of the fact that the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár that had been planned for Tehran during the Ten Year Crusade had to be postponed due to circumstances in Iran. [MBW90; PP312; BW13p713; CG42-43; Bahá'í Faith, The: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Bahá'í Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953-1963 compiled by Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land]	Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Kampala; Shoghi Effendi, Life of; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Tihran; Kampala, Uganda; Uganda; Iran; Tehran, Iran
1955 15 Aug	The passing of Mabel Hyde Paine (b. 7 December 1877 in Rockville, CT, d. 15 August 1955 in Urbana, IL). She was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Urbana. [Find a Grave] Mabel Paine was a Bahá'í teacher and an author. She is remembered as the compiler of The Divine Art of Living that was first published by the Bahá'í Publishing Committee in Chicago in 1944 and saw numerous reprints and revisions until the four revisions. It is still in publication. [Collins4.114 - 4.117] See also Paine, Mable Hyde; Obituary by Garrett Busey.	In Memoriam; Mabel Hyde Paine; Rockville, CT; Urbana, IL
1955 5 Aug	In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles he requested that Bahá'ís withdraw from Churches, Synagogues, Freemasonry and other secret societies. A number of letters had been written before and were written after on the same subject. [LoGno.1387; LoGno.1388 (1956); LoGno.1389 (1956); LoGno.1390 (1956); LoGno.1391 (1951)] 'Abdu'l-Bahá had previously permitted such membership in the Masons. [ABL127]	Church membership; Secret Societies; Masons; Masonry
1955 Aug	Appeals were made by National Spiritual Assemblies around the world through the Bahá'í International Community to the UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld to ask the Iranian government to halt the attacks on the Bahá'ís. [BW13:789–91; BW16:329; MBW88–9; PP304, 311; CBN No 81 October 1956 p1] The intervention of the Secretary-General of the UN, along with the efforts of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, brought an end to the physical persecution of the Bahá'ís, although their human rights are still denied. [BW13:790; BW16:329] This marked the first time the Faith was able to defend itself with its newly born administrative agencies. An "Aid the Persecuted Fund" was established. Historian Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi noted that the 1955 anti-Bahá'í campaign was both the apogee and the point of separation of the state-clergy co-operation. The Shah succumbing to international pressure to provide human rights, withdrew support. The result was that the period from the late fifties until 1977-1978 was a period of relative safety. [Towards a History of Iran's Bahá'í Community During the Reign of Mohammad Reza Shah, 1941-1979 by Mina Yazdani.]	Bahá'í International Community; United Nations; NSA; Human Rights; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; New York, USA; United States; Iran
1955 28 Jul	Seven Bahá'ís were stabbed and beaten to death by a mob in Hurmuzak, Iran. [BW18p391; Towards a History of Iran's Baha'i Community During the Reign of Mohammad Reza Shah, 1941-1979 by Mina Yazdani.] Several other Bahá'ís, including women, were beaten and injured; Bahá'í houses and property were damaged. [BW18:391] See also M. Labíb, The Seven Martyrs of Hurmuzak. See entry for 26 September, 2016.	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Deaths; Persecution, Mobs; Persecution; Seven martyrs of Hurmuzak; Seven martyrs; Hurmuzak; Iran
1955 4 Jun	Frank Wyss of Australia arrived on Cocos and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:450]	Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Cocos
1955 3 Jun	Shoghi Effendi announced that a thousand groups and local Assemblies telegraphed appeals to the Iranian authorities and that all National Assemblies addressed written communication to the Shah, the government, and to parliament pleading for justice and protection. [MBW89]	Persecution, Iran; Bahá'í World Centre
1955 3 Jun	Shoghi Effendi announced to all National Assemblies that Majdi'd-Din, "the most redoubtable enemy of 'Abdu'l-Baha" and "the incarnation of Satan", someone who played a leading role in the kindling of the hostility of 'Abdu'l-Hamíd and Jamál Páshá and who was the instigator of Covenant-breaking and archbreaker of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant, died at the age of one hundred after being struck with paralysis affecting his limbs and his tongue. [MBW87-88, 94] He was the son of Bahá'u'lláh's only full brother Mírzá Músá, also know as Áqáy-i-Kalím. He was married to Samadiyyih, Bahá'u'lláh's daughter from his second wife Fatimih Khanum making him brother-in-law to Mírzá Muhammad `Alí. Both Majdi'd-Dín and Samadiyyih were eventually declared Covenant-breakers for supporting Mírzá Muhammad `Alí. Majdi'd-Din was a scribe for Bahá'u'lláh. It was he who on June 6th or 7th, 1892, read the Kitáb-i-'Ahd to a large crowd in front of the Tomb of Bahá'u'lláh in which Bahá'u'lláh appointed 'Abdu'l-Bahá as his successor. [CBN No69 Oct 1955 p2]	Covenant-breakers; Majdid-Din; `Abdu'l-Hamid; Jamal Pasha; Mírzá Musa (Aqay-i-Kalim); Samadiyyih Khanum; Fatimih Khanum
1955 2 Jun	The first pioneer to settle in Laos, Dr Heshmat Ta'eed, arrived in the country from Thailand.	First travel teachers and pioneers; Laos	first pioneer to Laos
1955 1 Jun	The House of Bahá'u'lláh in Tákur, Mázandarán, Iran, was taken over. [BW18p391]	House of Bahá'u'lláh (Takur); Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Takur, Iran; Mazandaran, Iran; Iran
1955 (Spring)	Travelling by foot, Udai Narain Singh arrived in Tibet from Gangtok, Sikkim, and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh, his second such distinction. He was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh in spring 1956. [BW13:456]	Udai Narain Singh; Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Tibet; Sikkim; India
1955 30 May	Bahá'ís were attacked and wounded and their houses attacked at Ábádih, Iran. [BW18p391]	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Abadih; Iran
1955 27 May	The Bahá'í centre at Máhfurúzak, Iran, was demolished. [BW18p391]	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Destruction; Persecution; Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Mahfuruzak; Iran
1955 24 May	The Bahá'í centre at Karaj, Iran, was taken over. [BW18p391]	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Karaj; Iran
1955 23 May	The Bahá'í International Community submitted its Proposals for Charter Revision to the United Nations for the Conference for Revision of the UN Charter. [BW13:788, 795–802]	Bahá'í International Community; United Nations Charter; United Nations; New York, USA; United States
1955 22 May	The dome of the National Bahá'í Centre in Tihrán was demolished with the personal participation of several high-ranking army officers. The Haziratu'l-Quds had been taken over on the 7th of May. The publication of the pictures of the demolition encouraged a widespread outburst of persecution of Bahá'ís throughout Iran. [BW18:391; Archives of Bahá'í Persecution in Iran] After the coup in 1953 the Shah was indebted to the clergy for their support and so they were given a greater latitude to persecute the Bahá'ís. In an attempt to show his gratitude the Shah sent a high ranking officer to ask if they had any special requests and they called for the Bahá'í Centre in Tehran to be destroyed. The army occupied the Centre and high-ranking officers and clerics jointly demolished the dome. [Towards a History of Iran's Bahá'í Community During the Reign of Mohammad Reza Shah, 1941-1979 by Mina Yazdani.] For pictures see BW13:293–4. Photo.	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Destruction; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Tehran, Iran; Iran
1955 17 May	The Iranian Minister of the Interior announced in parliament that the Government had issued orders for the suppression of the 'Bahá'í sect' and the liquidation of the Bahá'í centres. [BBRSM174; BW18p391]	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Iran
1955 16 May	The Bahá'í centre at Isfahán, Iran, was taken over. [BW18:390]	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Isfahan; Iran
1955 9 May	The Bahá'í centre at Ahváz, Iran, was taken over. [BW18:390]	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Ahvaz; Iran
1955 9 May	Bahá'í houses were attacked and looted at Shíráz, Iran. [BW18:390]	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Shiraz, Iran; Iran
1955 8 May	The Bahá'í centre at Rasht, Iran, was attacked and taken over. [BW18:390]	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Rasht, Iran; Iran
1955 8 May	Bahá'ís were beaten at Dámghán, Khurásán, Iran. [BW18:390]	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Damghan, Iran; Khurasan, Iran; Iran
1955 7 May	The Iranian army occupied the National Bahá'í Centre in Tihrán. [BW18:390]	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Tehran, Iran; Iran
1955 4 May	Sylvia Ioas was appointed to the International Bahá'í Council as its ninth member. [BW19:612; GBF110; MBW86; PP253; CBN No65 Jun 1955 p1; BN No 292 Jun 1955 p3]	Sylvia Ioas; International Bahá'í Council; Haifa, Israel
1955 2 May	The police locked the doors of the National Bahá'í Centre in Tihrán thus preventing the holding of the final day of the National Bahá'í Convention. [BW18:390]	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Conventions, National; Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Tehran, Iran; Iran
1955 May-Jul	Persecutions against the Bahá'ís continued throughout Iran. [BW18p391] Many Bahá'ís were beaten, including women and children. Bahá'í houses and shops were looted and burned. Bahá'ís employed in government service were dismissed. Bodies of dead Bahá'ís were disinterred and mutilated. Young Bahá'í women were abducted and forced to marry Muslims. Several Bahá'í women were publicly stripped and/or raped. Crops and orchards belonging to Bahá'ís were looted and destroyed. Bahá'í children were expelled from schools. The House of the Báb in Shíráz was damaged and almost destroyed by an anti-Bahá'í mob.	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution, Destruction; Persecution; Báb, House of (Shiraz); Shiraz, Iran; Iran
1955 23 Apr	Ramadán began. Shaykh Muhammad-Taqí known as "Falsafí" made an inflammatory speech against the Bahá'ís from a mosque in Tihrán. [BW18p390] This was broadcast on national radio and stirred up the people against the Bahá'ís. [BW18:390] Beatings, killings, looting and raping went on for several weeks, usually incited by the local 'ulamá. [BW18:390–1; MC16–17; ZK215–6] The House of the Báb in Shíráz was attacked and damaged by a mob led by Siyyid Núru'd-Dín, a mujtahid. See a publication in the newspaper Shahin Tehran about his "work".	Báb, House of (Shiraz); Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Deaths; Persecution, Mobs; Persecution; Falsafi; Shaykh Muhammad-Taqi; Tehran, Iran; Shiraz, Iran; Iran
1955 Ridván	The first Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Monaco was established. The first person to become a Bahá'í in Monaco was Margaret Lantz, of Luxembourg. Soon after her a Frenchman, Mr. Charbonnet, who owed an antique shop in Monaco, also accepted the Faith. Charlottte Campana was the first person of Monegasque nationality to become a Bahá'í. Bahá'í writings translated into Monegasque were officially presented to Crown Prince Albert in 2001. [Newspaper Archive on BLO]	Monaco	first LSA in Monaco
1955 Ridván	The first local spiritual assembly in Réunion was formed.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Reunion; France	first Local Spiritual Assembly in Réunion
1955 Ridván	The first local spiritual assembly in Zanzibar (Tanzania) was formed.	Local Spiritual Assembly, formation; Zanzibar (Tanzania)	firstLocal Spiritual Assembly in Zanzibar
1955 Ridván	The first local spiritual assembly in Vietnam was formed at Saigon-Cholon (Cholon is the Chinese section of Saigon). [BN No 293 July 1955 p5; Bahá'í Religion in Community Education in Vietnam by Vu Van Chung] This body was also the first local assembly to be formed in Indochina.	Local Spiritual Assembly, formation; Saigon-Cholon; Vietnam	first Local Spiritual Assembly in Vietnam
1955 Ridván	The first local spiritual assembly in the Bahamas was formed in Nassau.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Nassau, Bahamas; Bahamas	first Local Spiritual Assembly in Bahamas
1955 Ridván	The first local spiritual assembly in the Seychelles was formed in Victoria.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Victoria; Seychelles	first Local Spiritual Assembly in Seychelles
1955 Ridván	The first local spiritual assembly in Madagascar was formed in Tananarive (Antananarivo).	Local Spiritual Assembly; Tananarive (Antananarivo); Madagascar	first Local Spiritual Assembly in Madagascar
1955 Ridván	The first Local Spiritual Assembly in Italian Somalia was formed in Mogadishu.	LSA; Mogadishu; Italian Somaliland	first LSA in Italian Somaliland
1955 Ridván	The first native Mozambican Bahá'í, Festas Chambeni, took the Bahá'í Faith to Angola. [BW13:290]	Festas Chambeni; Angola	first native Mozambican Bahá’í
1955 Ridván	The first local spiritual in Mozambique was established in Lourenço Marques. [BW13:290]	Local Spiritual Assembly; Lourenco Marques; Mozambique	first Local Spiritual Assembly in Mozambique
1955 Ridván	The first local spiritual assembly of French Togoland (Togo) formed at Lomé.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Lomé; French Togoland (Togo); Togo	first Local Spiritual Assembly in French Togoland (Togo)
1955 Ridván	The first local spiritual assembly in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) was formed in Salisbury (Harare). [CG21]	Local Spiritual Assembly; Salisbury (Harare); Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)	first Local Spiritual Assembly in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)
1955 Ridván	The first four local spiritual assemblies in The Gambia were formed in Bathurst (Banjul), Serrekunda, Lamin and Brikama.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Banjul (Bathurst); Serrekunda; Lamin and Brikama; Gambia, The	first four Local Spiritual Assemblies in The Gambia
1955 Ridván	The first five local assemblies in Bechuanaland (Botswana) were formed in Seqonoka, Maseru, Mafeteng, Maphohloane and Sephapos' Gate.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Seqonoka; Maseru; Mafeteng; Maphohloane and Sephapos Gate; Lesotho, South Africa	first five Local Spiritual Assemblies in what is now Lesotho
1955 Ridván	(The) design (for the) Mother Temple (in the) cradle (of the) Faith (was) unveiled (in the) presence (of) pilgrims (and) resident believers assembled (within the) Haram-i-Aqdas (on the) first day (of) Ridvan. SHOGHI [CBN No65 Jun 1955 p1]	Bahji, Israel
1955 21 April	The Báb's only child, Ahmad, was still-born or died soon after birth. Khadíjih Bagum had a very difficult delivery and almost died as a result. The child was buried under a pine (or cypress) tree in the shrine of Bíbí-Dukhtarán (meaning Matron or Mistress of the Maidens). In the opening days of 1955, the Shíráz municipality decided to construct a school on the site which would have destroyed the grave. When advised of the situation Shoghi Effendi responded: "Guardian approves transfer remains Primal Point's Son Gulistán Jávíd. Ensure befitting burial." The Spiritual Assembly arranged for the remains to be exhumed, laid in a silk container, and placed in a cement coffin. For three months, the coffin was kept in the western part of the local Hadiratu'l-Quds. On the 21st of April 1955, which coincided with the day of the Báb's martyrdom reckoned by the lunar calendar, a special ceremony for the reinterment was held. It was the largest Bahá'í gathering in Shíráz in the history of the Bahá'í Faith. Multitudes of believers from all parts of the country participated in the historic event. In a prayerful atmosphere, the remains were reinterred in the Bahá'í cemetery of Shíráz. The Guardian heard the details and, on 24 April, cabled his joy: "SHIRAZ ASSEMBLY CARE KHADEM TEHERAN. OVERJOYED HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENT CONGRATULATE VALIANT FRIENDS LOVING REMEMBRANCE SHRINES SUPPLICATING BOUNTIFUL BLESSINGS. SHOGHI." [The Afnán Family: Some Biographical Notes by Ahang Rabbani 2007 Note <44>] In the first báb of the fifth vahíd of the Persian Bayán, the Báb asks for a befitting structure to be built over the resting-place of Ahmad for the faithful to worship God. [Bahaipedia] .	Ahmad (son of the Báb); Báb, Life of; Báb, Family of; Cemeteries and graves; Births and deaths; Shiraz, Iran; Iran
1955 18 Apr	After the violent storm of persecutions against the Bahá'í's in Iran broke loose, the Bahá'í International Community delegates presented their case and Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, intervened with the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs and brought an immediate end to the physical persecution and lifted the danger of a massacre. [Bahá'í International Community History, 18 April 1955]	United Nations; Persecution, Iran; Bahá'í International Community; Iran
1955 Apr	Shoghi Effendi announced that the Bahá'í Faith was represented in 236 countries, in 3,200 locations, by over 40 ethnic groups. Bahá'í literature was translated into 176 languages. [MBW76–8]	Statistics; Growth; Ten Year Crusade; Worldwide
1955 Apr	The first person to become a Bahá'í in the Bahamas, Molly Newbold, enrolled. As she did not remain a Bahá'í, Arnold Wells, a tinsmith who became a Bahá'í on 20 April, is regarded as the first Bahá'í. Christine Thompson, who owned a small fruit and vegetable shop, and Frank Ferguson, who owned a gas station, also enrolled on 20 April.	First Bahá'ís by country or area; Islands; Bahamas	first Bahá’í in Bahamas
1955 20 Mar	Shoghi Effendi announced the acquisition of 36,000 square metres of land for the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of the Holy Land. [DH175; MBW78–9] The entire sum of $180,000 for the purchase was donated by Amelia Collins. [MBW79] In April Shoghi Effendi reported that $50,000 had been contributed by the Hand of the Cause, Amelia Collins for the purpose of establishing Bahá'í national endowments in no less than fifty countries, situated in all five continents of the globe. [MBW81-82] See the letter from the Guardian dated the 1st of October 1954 for a list of other properties/ buildings that were acquired due to the generosity of Millie Collins. [CBN No58 Nov 1954 p1; BN No 285 November 1954 p1]	Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Haifa; Purchases and exchanges; Amelia Collins; Bahá'í World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; World Centre; Endowments; Donations; Bahá'í World Centre; Haifa, Israel; Worldwide	first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of the Holy Land
1955 14 Mar	The first person to become a Bahá'í in Guam, Charles T. Mackey, a United States civil service employee, enrolled.	First Bahá'ís by country or area; Guam	first Bahá’í in Guam
1955 4 Mar	The first Tongan to become a Bahá'í in Tonga, Tevita Ngalo'afe, enrolled.	First believers by background; First Bahá'ís by country or area; Tonga	first Tongan Bahá’í in Tonga
1955 Mar	Kamálí Sarvístání arrived on Socotra Island and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:456]	Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Islands; Socotra Island
1955 Mar	The first person to become a Bahá'í in the Solomon Islands, William Gina, a 43-year-old Solomon Islander from the Western Solomon Islands, enrolled.	First Bahá'ís by country or area; Solomon Islands; Oceania	first Bahá’í in Solomon Islands
1955 8–15 Feb	The first people to become Bahá'ís in Réunion, Paul and Françoise Tayllamin (8 Feb) and Jean Donat and Julien Araye (15 Feb), enrolled.	First Bahá'ís by country or area; Reunion; France	first Bahá’ís in Réunion
1955 4 Feb	Bahá'í women in Hisár, Khurásán, Iran, were assaulted. [BW18:390]	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Hisar; Khurasan, Iran; Iran
1955 Feb	The first local person to become a Bahá'í in Mauritius, Mr Yam-Lim, a Chinese Catholic, enrolled.	First Bahá'ís by country or area; Mauritius	first local Bahá’í in Mauritius
1955 18–22 Jan	Five Bahá'ís were arrested and beaten in Hisár, Khurásán, Iran; four of these are dragged around the town; Bahá'í houses were attacked, looted and set on fire. [BW18p390]	Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Arrests; Persecution, Destruction; Persecution; Hisar; Khurasan, Iran; Iran
1955 8 Jan	Señor Moyses Mosquera Zevallos became the first believer of the Galapagos Islands to accept the Faith. As a result of his becoming a Bahá'í he was persecuted by the priest and both he and his wife lost their jobs as teachers. He was wrongfully accused of immoral acts with some of his students in spite of the fact that the teaching space was such that his wife was constantly with him. Moses was dismissed from his position because of the influence of the priest but he was asked to return to Naranjal because of the demands of the parents of his students. He remained at this school until his retirement during the late 1970's. [Heroes of God: History of the Bahá'í Faith in Ecuador, 1940-1979 by Helen Basset Hornby p69; 77]	Santa Cruz, CA; Galápagos Islands, Ecuador; Ecuador	the first to accept the Eahá'i Faith in the Galapagos.
1955 c. Jan	The first Tswana Bahá'í, Stanlake Kukama, enrolled in Mafikeng.	First believers by background; Mafikeng; South Africa	first Tswana Bahá’í
1955 Jan	Dorothy Senne became the first Bahá'í in South Africa. [BWNS270]	Dorothy Senne; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); South Africa	First Bahá'í in South Africa.
1955 (In the year)	The first person to become a Bahá'í in Grenada, John Protain, a waiter at the Santa Maria Hotel, enrolled.	John Protain; Grenada	first Bahá’í in Grenada
1955 (In the year)	Twenty–two African Bahá'ís were expelled from the Belgian Congo.	Persecution, Belgian Congo; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Congo, Democratic Republic of (DRC) (Zaire)
1955 (In the year)	The first person to become a Bahá'í in Spanish Sahara, 'Abdu'l-Salam Salím Al-Sbintí, enrolled.	First Bahá'ís by country or area; Spanish Sahara (Western Sahara)	first Bahá’í in Spanish Sahara
1955 (In the year)	Labíb Isfahání arrived in Abidjan, French West Africa, from Dakar, the first Bahá'í to settle in what is now the Ivory Coast.	Habib Isfahani; First Bahá'ís by country or area; Abidjan; French West Africa	first Bahá’í to settle in Ivory Coast
1955 (In the year)	The first indigenous Samoan to become a Bahá'í, Sa'ialala Tamasese, enrolled. He was a member of one of the three royal families of Samoa. [BINS, No. 100, 1 MARCH 1979, p. 1]	First Bahá'ís by country or area; Bahá'í royalty; Royalty; Samoa	first indigenous Samoan Bahá’í
1955 (In the year)	The first person to become a Bahá'í in The Gambia, Mr Nichola Banna, a Lebanese merchant, enrolled.	First Bahá'ís by country or area; Gambia, The	first Bahá’í in The Gambia
1955 to 2007	The fifth Trustee of the Huqúqu'lláh was 'Ali-Muhammad Varqá. He inherited both the Trusteeship and the station of Hand of the Cause of God from his father upon his passing. [Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 25 March, 1985] During his tenure the compilation Huqúqu'lláh was published (1985) by the Universal House of Justice. The delegates gathered at the National Convention of the Bahá'ís of the United States in 1984 petitioned the Universal House of Justice to make the Law of the Huqúqu'lláh applicable in their country. (Up to this point the law only applied to Bahá'is of Persian origin.) The Universal House of Justice replied that it was not yet time for such a measure but did agree to make more information available in preparation for such a time. [Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 3 January, 1985, AWH30] Friends in Austria and the United States published codifications on the Law of the Huqúqu'lláh. To the benefit of the believers everywhere the Research Department at the World Centre was asked to prepare a brief history and a Codification. This information was sent to all national assemblies in the Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 25 March, 1987. In 1991 the Central Office of Huqúqu'lláh was established in the Holy Land under the direction of the Chief Trustee in anticipation of the worldwide application of the law. Subsequently regional and national boards were established. [Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 26 November, 1991] With the publication of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas in English in 1992 the law of the Huqúqu'lláh became universally applicable. In 2005 an International Board of Trustees of the Huqúqu'lláh was established to guide the regional and national boards. Three members appointed to the Board were Sally Foo, Ramin Khadem, and Grant Kvalheim. Their term of office was to be determined. [Ridván 2005] The last Hand of the Cause of Cause and Trustee of the Huqúqu'lláh, Alí Muhammad Varqá, passed away in Haifa on the 22nd of September, 2007. [BWNS579]	Huququllah; Varqá, `Alí-Muhammad; Huququllah, Trustees of; Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Activities; Varqa; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Bahá'í World Centre; Haifa, Israel
Try also a shorter date like 195 try also the Chronology Canada — 1955 or 195

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