Chronology: Date 1954-04

date	event	tags	firsts
1954 Apr	Suhráb Paymán, together with his five-year old-daughter Ghitty, arrived in San Marino from Tihrán to join his wife. He was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh in April. [BW13:455]	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; San Marino, Italy
1954 Apr	Bahá'í women in Iran were accorded full rights to participate in membership of both national and local Bahá'í assemblies. [MBW65] This removed the 'last remaining obstacle to the enjoyment of complete equality of rights in the conduct of the administrative affairs of the Persian Bahá'í Community'. [MBW65]	National Spiritual Assembly; Local Spiritual Assembly; Women; Equality; Iran
1954 Apr	The arrival of future Knight of Bahá'u'lláh, Mr. Enoch Olinga, in British Cameroon. [BWNS291]	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Enoch Olinga; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); British Cameroon; - Africa
1954 Apr	A mere eight months after settling in British Cameroons, Enoch Olinga, along with the community of new believers at his pioneering post received a cable from Shoghi Effendi asking for African believers to settle in British Togoland, French Togoland, the Ashanti Protectorate and in the Northern Territories Protectorate before the following Ridván. Although Bahá'ís for only a few months, their response was instantaneous; the largest difficulty arose in limiting themselves to the four names required to fulfill the designated posts. This was determined by a vote. David Tanyi, Edward Tabe, Benedict Eballa, and Martin Manga were duly selected. Samuel Nyki was sent to French Cameroon. Each one established a Local Spiritual Assembly in their assigned posts within two years. [A Brief Account of the Progress of the Bahá'í Faith in Africa Since 1953 by Nancy Oloro-Robarts and Selam Ahderom p4; KoB71]	Pioneering; David Tanyi; Edward Tabe; Benedict Eballa; Martin Manga; Samuel Njiki (Samuel Nyki); Cameroon; British Togoland (Ghana); French Togoland (Togo); Ashanti Protectorate, Ghana; Northern Territories Protectorate
1954 Apr	Dr John Fozdar arrived in Brunei in April 1954 and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:450] See Remembering Dr John Fozdar.	John Fozdar; - Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Brunei
1954 Apr	Mrs Mehrangiz Munsiff pioneered to the city of Douala in the French Cameroons (later Cameroon). Both she and Mr Samuel Njiki were honoured as Knights of Bahá'u'lláh for this territory. [Bahá'í Journal UK Vol 20, No 5 Jan/Feb 2004, BW13:451; BWNS249] For a photo see Bahá'í Media Bank.	Meherangiz Munsiff; Samuel Njiki (Samuel Nyki); - Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; French Cameroon; Cameroon; Douala, Cameroon	Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for Cameroons
1954 Apr	Edward Tabe, a youth from Cameroon, no older than fourteen, and Albert Buapiah from the Gold Coast arrived in British Togoland and were named Knights of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:450; KoB78-79; BWNS249]	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Edward Tabe; Albert Buapiah; British Togoland (Ghana); Ghana
1954 Apr	The arrival of Knight Martin Manga to Northern Territories Protectorate (now part of Ghana). [BWNS249; BW13:455]	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Northern Territories Protectorate; Ghana
1954 Apr	Benedict Eballa arrived in Ashanti Protectorate (Now part of Ghana) and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:449; BWNS249]	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Ashanti Protectorate, Ghana; Ghana
1954 Apr	Habíb Isfahání arrived in Dakar and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for French West Africa. [BW13:452]	Habib Isfahani; - Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Dakar, Senegal; French West Africa
1954 Apr	Kay Zinky arrived in the Magdalen Islands and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:453]	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Islands; Magdalen Islands, QC
1954 Apr	Howard Gilliland arrived in Labrador and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:453]	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Labrador, NL
1954 Apr	Corporal Richard Walters and his wife, Evelyn, and Richard and Mary L. Suhm arrived in Tangier from the United States and were all named Knights of Bahá'u'lláh for Morocco (International Zone). BW13:454]	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Tangier, Morocco; Morocco
1954 Apr	John and Marjorie Kellberg of Oak Park, Illinois, arrived in the Dutch West Indies (Netherlands Antilles) and were named Knights of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:451]	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Lesser Antilles
1954 Apr	Robert B. Powers, Jr., a member of the U.S. armed forces at the Navy Air Station, arrived in Guam and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for the Mariana Islands. [BW13:454]	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Islands; Guam; Mariana Islands
1954 Apr	The site for the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of the Holy Land was selected. [DH175; MBW63]	Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Haifa; * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Haifa, Israel	first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of the Holy Land
1954 Apr	Shoghi Effendi announced that there were Bahá'ís in 228 countries and that Bahá'í literature has been translated into 130 languages. [MBW61–2]	Statistics
1954 6 Apr	Shoghi Effendi announced the creation of five Auxiliary Boards with the following number of members: Asia 7; America 9; Europe 9; Africa 9; Australia 2. [BW13p335; CBN No 53 June 1954 p6; MBW44, 58-60] Their function was to 'act as deputies of the Hands in their respective continents', to 'aid and advise them in the effective prosecution of the' and to assist them 'in the discharge of their dual and sacred task of safeguarding the Faith and of promoting its teaching activities'. [MBW63] See also BBD26; BBRSM127; MC3. These boards were mandated with the propagation of the Faith.	Auxiliary board members; Appointed arm; - Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Activities; Ten Year Crusade; Shoghi Effendi, Life of; Shoghi Effendi, Basic timeline; Funds, Continental; Shoghi Effendi, Works of; - Bahá'í World Centre
1954 6 Apr	Five Continental Bahá'í Funds were inaugurated by Shoghi Effendi. [MBW59, 63]	Funds; Funds, Continental; Shoghi Effendi, Life of; - Bahá'í World Centre
1954 6 Apr	Shoghi Effendi announced that plans for the International Bahá'í Archives had been completed and that steps had been taken to begin its construction. [PP264BBD22–3; DH169; GBF117–8; MBW64]	International Bahá'í Archives; Shoghi Effendi, Life of; Shoghi Effendi, Basic timeline; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Shoghi Effendi, Works of; - Bahá'í World Centre; Mount Carmel; Haifa, Israel
1954 6 Apr	In his Ridván Message Shoghi Efffendi announced that: The site for the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of the Holy Land has been selected--an area of approximately twenty thousand square meters--situated at the head of the Mountain of God, in close proximity to the Spot hallowed by the footsteps of Bahá'u'lláh, near the time-honoured Cave of Elijah, and associated with the revelation of the Tablet of Carmel, the Charter of the World Spiritual and Administrative Centres of the Faith on that mountain. Funds totalling one hundred thousand dollars have, moreover, been contributed by one of the Hands of the Cause, residing in the Holy Land, and negotiations have been initiated with the Israeli authorities for the purpose of effecting the immediate purchase of the selected site. (Hand of the Cause Milly Collins) [MBW63; DoH175] In another message about a year later he provided further details. [MBW78-79]	Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Haifa; Funds; Amelia Collins; * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); - Bahá'í World Centre; Mount Carmel; Haifa, Israel	the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of the Holy Land
1954 9 Apr	Gayle Woolson and her companion, Rebecca Kaufman, arrived in the Galapagos Islands and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:452] [Heroes of God p59]	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Islands; Galápagos Islands, Ecuador; Ecuador
1954 11 Apr	Bula Mott Stewart arrived in Swaziland and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:456]	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Swaziland
1954 12 Apr	Shoghi Effendi accepted the bid made by the firm of Enrico Pandolfini of Pietrasanta in Tuscany, Italy for the supply of the obelisk will mark the place of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of the Holy Land. After the delivery of the materials circumstances did not allow for the obelisk to be erected. The Universal House of Justice completed the project in August, 1971.	Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Haifa; * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Obelisks; Shoghi Effendi, Life of; Haifa, Israel; - Bahá'í World Centre; Pietrasanta, Italy; Tuscany, Italy; Italy
1954 13 Apr	David Tanyi, a tailor, arrived in French Togoland from British Cameroons and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:451]	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; French Togoland (Togo); Togo
18 Apr	John and Valera Allen arrived in Swaziland and were named Knights of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:456]	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Swaziland
1954 Ridván	In his cablegram of October 8, 1952, Shoghi Effendi called upon all 15 "continental" Hands to appoint, during Ridván, 1954, five Auxiliary Boards, one on each continent, composed of nine members each to work as their deputies along with the National Assemblies to assist in the execution of the twelve teaching plans. [BW13p335, MBW44, 63]	Auxiliary board members; Assistants; Appointed arm
1954 Ridván	Adelaide Sharp, who had been in Iran since 1929, was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, the first woman elected to that body. [BFA2:361]	Adelaide Sharp; NSA; Firsts, other; Women; Iran	first woman elected NSA Iran
1954 Ridván	The first local spiritual assembly in the Malay Peninsula was established in Seremban.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Seremban, Malaysia; British Malaya	first Local Spiritual Assembly Malay Peninsula
1954 Ridván	The first all African local spiritual assembly in Tanganyika was formed in Bukoba.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Bukoba, Tanzania; Tanganyika, Tanzania	first all African Local Spiritual Assembly in Tanganyika
1954 Ridván	The first local spiritual assembly was formed in British Cameroons.	Local Spiritual Assembly; British Cameroon	first Local Spiritual Assembly British Cameroons
1954 Ridván	The first local spiritual assembly was formed in in Usumbura (later Bujumbura, Burundi) and it composed entirely of Congolese. At that time the area was called Ruanda-Urundi. In 1962 Ruanda-Urundi became the two independent states of Rwanda and Burundi. [A Remarkable Response Film 26:55]	Local Spiritual Assembly; Bujumbura, Burundi; Burundi	first Local Spiritual Assembly Ruanda-Urundi (Burundi)
1954 Ridván	The first local spiritual assembly in Algeria was formed in Algiers. [BWIM114]	Local Spiritual Assembly; Algiers, Algeria; Algeria	first Local Spiritual Assembly Algeria
1954 21 Apr	Bruce Matthews arrived at Goose Bay and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for Labrador. [BW13:453] See Bruce Matthews, Knight of Bahá'u'lláh Goose Bay, Labrador by Lynn Wright and Susan Gammage.	- Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Goose Bay, NL; Labrador, NL; Canada
1954 Ridván	In Uganda, 2 years previous, there were no Bahá'ís. By this time there were over 700 Bahá'ís, with 24 Spiritual Assemblies. [That Promising Continent 18]	Statistics; Uganda
26 Apr	President of Israel Ben Zvi and his wife visit the Shrines on Mount Carmel, the first official visit paid by a head of a sovereign state to the Shrines of the Báb and 'Abdu'l-Bahá. [GBF139–140; MBW68; PP2923]	Ben Zvi; - Presidents; Prominent visitors; Báb, Shrine of; Firsts, other; Haifa, Israel; Mount Carmel	first official visit head of a sovereign state to Shrine of the Báb
Try also a shorter date like 1954-0 or 1954 try also the Chronology Canada — 1954-04 or 1954-0 or 1954

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