September 23, 1932: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Is Decreed

King Ibn Saud

September 23, 1932: Following the amalgamation of the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is decreed by its founder, Abdulaziz ibn Saud.

The word "Saudi" is derived from the element as-Suʿūdīyya in the Arabic name of the country, which is a type of adjective known as a nisba, formed from the dynastic name of the Saudi royal family, the Al Saud. Its inclusion in the country's name expresses the view that the country is the personal possession of the royal family.

Al Saud is an Arabic name formed by adding the word Al, meaning "family of" or "House of," to the personal name of an ancestor. In the case of Al Saud, this is Saud ibn Muhammad ibn Muqrin, the father of the dynasty's 18th Century founder, Muhammad bin Saud.

The country was, and remains, an absolute monarchy. It treats dissenters badly, as Jamal Khashoggi found out. And it treats women like property rather than people. But America puts up with Saudi Arabia, because of oil. We want it, and they have it.

Ibn Saud died in 1953, and was succeeded by his son, King Saud. He was unable to control the country's debt, and in 1964 was deposed by his half-brother, King Faisal. In 1975, Faisal was assassinated by a nephew, Prince Faisal bin Musaid, and succeeded by his half-brother, King Khalid, who ordered the nephew's execution.

Khalid died in 1982, succeeded by his half-brother, King Fahd, who led America into opposition against Saddam Hussein and Iraq in 1990 and '91. Fahd died in 2005, and was replaced by his half-brother Abdullah. Abdullah died in 2015, and was replaced by another half-brother, King Salman.

In 2017, Salman issued a royal decree allowing Saudi women to drive cars. However, since that year, the real power behind the throne has been Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a.k.a. MBS, the eldest son of Salman and his 3rd wife. For the 1st time since 1953, the operating head of Saudi Arabia is not a son of King Ibn Saud.

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September 23, 1932 was a Friday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 3-0 at Fenway Park in Boston. Walter "Jumbo" Brown pitched a 7-hit shutout. Babe Ruth went 0-for-3 with a walk. Lou Gehrig went 0-for-2 with a walk, before being replaced at 1st base by Lyn Lary in the 7th inning.

* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Washington Senators, 8-4 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Lefty Grove got the save (not that anyone knew what a save was at the time) for Larry Mahaffey. Mule Haas and Al Simmons hit home runs. Jimmie Foxx went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox, 13-6 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Wes Ferrell outpitched Ed Walsh Jr.

* The Detroit Tigers swept a doubleheader from the St. Louis Browns, 6-2 and 12-0 at Navin Field (later renamed Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium) in Detroit. Earl Whitehill pitched a 3-hit shutout in the nightcap.

While the entire American League was in action that day, only 1 game was played in the National League: The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-4 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.