It was on this day in 1953 that Egypt was officially declared an independent republic. It had been occupied by various foreign powers for 2,000 years, including by Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Ottoman Turks, Napoleon Bonaparte-led French, the servant-king Mamluks, and most recently the British.
Above from The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor, which has a quick but informative history.
Like Afghanistan, whom most of the same people rode through, sucks to be a cross-road.
Americans have little appreciation for the “breathing spell” our geography provided for us.