On This Date | Real Estate History

The Real Estate Archive is a curated record of how land, property, cities, and ownership systems have evolved over time. It documents key moments when laws were enacted, territories changed hands, markets were created or dismantled, and infrastructure decisions reshaped the value and use of land.

Syed Shayan Real Estate Archive is founded on the understanding that real estate history is not separate from political or economic history but is deeply embedded within it.
Through carefully researched entries, the archive traces landmark dates, decisions, and events that influenced property markets at local, regional, and global levels. These include state formations, land reforms, major acquisitions, urban planning milestones, infrastructure projects, and policy shifts that altered ownership patterns and real estate valuation. Each entry is placed within its historical context and examined through a real estate lens, focusing on land transfer, asset control, market behaviour, and long term spatial consequences.

The purpose of this archive is not nostalgia, but continuity and understanding. By recording what occurred on specific dates, the Real Estate Archive explains why present day property markets function as they do, how cities acquired their current form, and how historical legal and political decisions continue to shape land as an economic, social, and strategic asset. It is intended for researchers, professionals, students, and readers who seek depth, structure, and documented insight rather than opinion or speculation.

It should also be noted that this archive has been formally named the Syed Shahan Real Estate Archive with a clear long term vision. The intention is to develop it into a recognised reference over time, similar in spirit to major global knowledge repositories and encyclopaedic archives that are consulted for accuracy, continuity, and authority. By maintaining consistency, editorial discipline, and historical rigour, the archive aspires to become a dependable point of reference for real estate history across generations.

This section is maintained with an archival approach where dates matter, sources matter, and language remains precise. Analysis is grounded in verifiable history. Within this framework, On This Date highlights significant moments from real estate history, reinforcing the idea that every piece of land carries a past and every market is shaped by decisions made long before the present day.

This archive is developed and maintained as a research archive within the Syed Shayan Institute for Real Estate Research, researched, written, and edited under the direct supervision of Syed Shayan, real estate historian and analyst. It is an ongoing body of work, designed to evolve through continuous research, verification, and documentation over time.

Select Date

Day

Month

Year

Prominent

Year

Syed Shayan Real Estate Archive

January 2026

First Recorded Urban Land Auction in Melbourne

On October 10, 1885, Melbourne witnessed one of the most significant property events in its urban history when the city hosted its first large scale public land auction in the growing suburbs south of the Yarra River. At that time, Melbourne was experiencing a remarkable economic and population boom...

Implementation of India’s Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (LARR)

In October 2013, India began the active implementation of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (LARR) 2013, one of the most transformative land governance reforms in South Asia. Although the Act had been passed in September, by early October the federal government had issued ope...

Washington Monument Officially Opened to the Public

On October 9, 1888, the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. was officially opened to the public. Standing 555 feet tall, it was the tallest man-made structure in the world until the completion of the Eiffel Tower in 1889. Its construction, delayed for decades due to funding issues and the America...

Founding of the Universal Postal Union (UPU)

On October 9, 1874, representatives from twenty-two nations gathered in Bern, Switzerland, to establish the Universal Postal Union (UPU) — a pioneering global framework that standardized international mail exchange. By creating a single postal territory, the UPU laid the groundwork for today’s a...

A City Reborn Through Flames and Innovation

On October 8 1871 a catastrophic fire broke out in Chicago Illinois destroying over 17 000 buildings across 3.3 square miles and leaving 100 000 people homeless. Fueled by wooden construction strong winds and months of drought the flames raged for two days and claimed more than 300 lives. The financ...

The Earthquake That Changed Pakistan Forever

On this day in 2005, a catastrophic 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck northern Pakistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), marking one of the deadliest natural disasters in the nation’s history. Within minutes, vast regions of Muzaffarabad, Balakot, and Bagh were reduced to rubble. Over 73,000 people l...