Wikipedia's first sentence called it “family of international renown”. Today it says “wealthy baghdadi jewish dynasty”.
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The opening as it read in 2010
Sassoon family is a family of international renown, which originated in the Jewish community of Baghdad , said to have originally been descended from Ibn Shoshans, of Spain. Sassoon ben Salih (1750 - 1830) was a banker to the vali (provincial governor) of Baghdad . His son David (1792 - 1864) fled from a new and unfriendly vali, going first to the Gulf port of Bushehr in 1828 and then to Bombay , India , in 1832, with his large family. In Bombay, he built the international business called David S. Sassoon, with the policy of staffing it with people brought from Baghdad. They filled the functions of the various branches of his business in India, Burma, Malay, and east Asia. In each branch, he maintained a rabbi. His wealth and munificence were proverbial, and his business extended to China - where Sassoon House (now the north wing of the Peace Hotel ) on the Bund in Shanghai became a noted landmark - and then to England. His eight sons also branched out into many directions. The Sassoon family was very heavily involved in the opium trade in China and India. Elias David (1820 - 1880), his son by his first wife, had been the first of the sons to go to China, in 1844. He later returned to Bombay, before leaving the firm to establish E. Sassoon in 1867, with offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Another son, Albert Abdullah David Sassoon (1818 - 1896) took on the running of the firm on his father's death, and notably constructed the Sassoon Docks , the first wet dock built in western India. With two of his brothers he later became prominent in England and the family great friends of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII . Of those who settled in England, Sir Edward Albert Sassoon (1856 - 1912), the son of Albert, married Aline Caroline de Rothschild , and was a Conservative member of Parliament from 1899 until his death. The seat was then inherited by his son Sir Philip Sassoon (1888 - 1939) from 1912 until his death. Sir Philip served in World War I as military secretary to Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig and, during the 1920s and 1930s, as Britain's undersecretary of state for air. The twentieth-century English poet, memoirist, and anti-war figure Siegfried Sassoon (1886 - 1967) was David's great-grandson. Another descendant of Sassoon David Sassoon is the British banker and government minister Sir James Sassoon . The branch that carried on the ancestral tradition has been represented by Rabbi Solomon David Sassoon (1915 - 1985), who moved from Letchworth to London and then to Jerusalem in 1970. He was the son of the David Sassoon who collected Jewish books and manuscripts and who catalogued them in Ohel David, in two volumes. This David was the son of Flora Abraham, who had moved from India to England in 1901 and established a famous salon in her London home. Sassoon , who is also a rabbi.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 365034347.
The opening as it stood in 2015 24 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Sassoon House , Shanghai , China The Sassoon family , also known as "the Rothschilds of the East" due to their supreme past wealth, is a famous family of Iraqi Jewish descent and international renown.It was based in Baghdad , Iraq , before moving to Mumbai (Bombay at time of their arrival), India and then spreading to China , England , and other countries.It is said that the family descended from the famous Ibn Shoshans, one of the richest families of medieval Al-Andalus , although the origins are ambiguous (see section below).From the 18th century, the Sassoons were one of the wealthiest families in the world, with a merchant empire spanning the continent of Asia.Siegfried Sassoon: A biography , Max Egremont , (London 2005)
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 654922800.
The opening as it stood in 2020 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Sassoon House , Shanghai , China The Sassoon family , known as " Rothschilds of the East" due to the immense wealth they accumulated in finance and trade, is of Baghdadi Jewish descent and international renown. It was based in Baghdad , Iraq , before moving to Bombay , India , and then spreading to China , England , and other countries. It is said that the family descended from one of the court families of the Iberian Peninsula in the twelfth century. .They later served as Financial Advisors to Islamic Rulers.From the 18th century, the Sassoons were one of the wealthiest families in the world, with a corporate empire spanning the entire continent of Asia.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 956278771.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Baghdadi Jewish wealthy family Sassoon House , Shanghai , China The Sassoon family , known as " Rothschilds of the East" due to the immense wealth they accumulated in finance and opium trade, are a Baghdadi Jewish family.Originally based in Baghdad , Iraq , they later moved to Mumbai , India , and then emigrated to China , England , and other nations.The family's businesses in China, India and Hong Kong especially, were built to capitalise on the opium business.As more family members gravitated toward London, they became prominent in England and were ennobled by Queen Victoria. From the 18th century, the Sassoons were one of the wealthiest families in the world, with a corporate empire spanning the entire continent of Asia.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1171541132.
The opening as it stood in 2025 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Baghdadi Jewish wealthy family The Sassoon family were a wealthy Baghdadi Jewish family dynasty, associated with finance, banking, capital markets, the exploration of oil and gas, Judaism , Conservative politics , opium trading and philanthropy.Their principal vehicles, Sassoon & Co. and J.The family was known as "the Rothschilds of the East" due to the immense wealth they accumulated in Asia. The family's businesses in China , India , and Hong Kong especially, were built to capitalise on the opium trade . As more family members gravitated toward London, they became prominent in England and were ennobled by Queen Victoria . Although most biographical data about the Sassoons lists Baghdad , Iraq , as their place of origins, Daniel Gross , an American journalist, claims that the Sassoon family has their origins in Aleppo , Syria . They later moved to Mumbai , India , and then emigrated to China, England, and other countries. Safra: A biography on the Sephardi Jewish legend - review" .The Jerusalem Post . 31 October 2022 .Siegfried Sassoon: A Biography .London. : CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link )
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Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “family of international renown”. Today it says “wealthy baghdadi jewish dynasty”. Read the current article and compare.
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
family of international renown
Now
wealthy baghdadi jewish dynasty
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