April 24, 1915 Armenian Genocide

In the waning years of the 13th century, Osman Gazi led a relentless conflict against the Byzantine empire centered in Constantinople, for control of western Anatolia in modern day Turkey. In 1453 the empire founded by Osman I captured Constantinople itself, seat of the Byzantine Empire and now known as Istanbul. At the height of its power in 1683 under the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire ruled over an area spanning three continents from the shores of north Africa to the gates of Vienna and east to the modern Russian Federation state, of Georgia. Nearly 4% the landmass of the entire planet, was under Ottoman rule.

In the early 19th century, the Ottoman empire entered a period of decline. Serbia went to war for independence from the Sultan in 1804, followed closely by Greece, Crete, Bulgaria and others. Sultan Selim III attempted to modernize the army, but…