William the Conqueror (c. 1028 – 1087) was the first Norman king of
England. He became Duke of Normandy in 1035, although his illegitimate
status and youth caused him difficulties until he secured the duchy in
about 1060. In the 1050s and early 1060s, William was a contender for
the English throne, then held by Edward the Confessor. Another claimant
was Harold Godwinson, whom Edward named as the next king on his deathbed
in January 1066. William invaded England in September 1066, defeated
Harold at the Battle of Hastings, and was crowned on Christmas Day 1066.
Unsuccessful rebellions followed, but by 1075 William's hold on England
was mostly secure. William's final years were marked by difficulties in
his continental domains, troubles with his eldest son, and threatened
invasions of England by the Danes. In 1085 he ordered the compilation of
the Domesday Book, listing all landholders in England and their
holdings. He died in September 1087 on a campaign in northern France.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Conqueror>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1320:
Byzantine forces defeated Achaean troops at the Battle of Saint
George, taking control of the Arcadia region of Greece.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saint_George>
1892:
At the Lick Observatory in California, Edward Emerson Barnard
discovered Amalthea, a moon of Jupiter and the last natural satellite to
be discovered by visual observation.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalthea_%28moon%29>
1999:
The first banknotes of the Portrait Series of the Singapore
dollar were introduced by the Board of Commissioners of Currency.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Portrait_Series_currency_notes>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
Elizabethan:
1. Pertaining to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, monarch of England and
Ireland, from 1558 to 1603.
2. Often preceded by new or second: pertaining to the reign of Queen
Elizabeth II, monarch of the United Kingdom, from 1952 to 2022.
3. A person (especially a writer) who lived during the reign of Queen
Elizabeth I, monarch of England and Ireland, from 1558 to 1603.
4. A person who lived during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, monarch of
the United Kingdom, from 1952 to 2022.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Elizabethan>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
We continue to be inspired by the kindness of strangers and draw
comfort that — even on the darkest nights — there is hope in the new
dawn.
--Elizabeth II
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II>
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