The British diplomat signing the Treaty of Jeddah had met Ibn Saud in a tent jus

1927 Event

Lindbergh Soars from New York: Transatlantic Race Begins

The British diplomat signing the Treaty of Jeddah had met Ibn Saud in a tent just fifteen years earlier, when the future king controlled little more than Riyadh and some desert wells. Now he was recognizing sovereignty over 800,000 square miles. Ibn Saud had united warring tribes through thirty years of raids, marriages, and outright conquest—losing two kingdoms before winning them back. Britain got what it wanted: a stable ally who'd keep his warriors away from Iraq and Kuwait. Five years later, American geologists would strike oil at Dammam, and the handshake would mean something else entirely.

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May 20, 1927

99 years ago

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Lindbergh Soars from New York: Transatlantic Race Begins

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