Attalus I ruled Pergamon, a Greek city-state in present-day Turkey,
from 241 BCE to 197 BCE. He was the second cousin and the adoptive son
of Eumenes I, whom he succeeded, and was the first of the Attalid
dynasty to assume the title of king. He won an important victory over
the Galatians, newly arrived Celtic tribes from Thrace, who had been,
for more than a generation, plundering and exacting tribute throughout
most of Asia Minor without any serious check. This victory, celebrated
by the triumphal monument at Pergamon, famous for its Dying Gaul, and
the liberation from the Gallic "terror" which it represented, earned
for Attalus the name of "Soter," and the title of "king." A
courageous
and capable general and loyal ally of Rome, he played a significant
role in the first and second Macedonian Wars, waged against Philip V
of Macedon. He conducted numerous naval operations, harassing
Macedonian interests throughout the Aegean, winning honors, collecting
spoils, and gaining for Pergamon possession of the Greek islands of
Aegina during the first war, and Andros during the second, twice
narrowly escaping capture at the hands of Philip. He died in 197 BCE,
shortly before the end of the second war, at the age of 72, having
suffered an apparent stroke while addressing a Boeotian war council
some months before.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attalus_I
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1719:
Robinson Crusoe, a novel by Daniel Defoe, was first published.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinson_Crusoe)
1792:
Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle composed La Marseillaise, now the
national anthem of France.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Marseillaise)
1953:
Molecular structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose
Nucleic Acid by James Watson and Francis Crick was published in the
scientific journal Nature.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_structure_of_Nucleic_Acids)
1974:
The song Grândola Vila Morena by Zeca Afonso was broadcast on radio,
signalling the start of the Carnation Revolution, a bloodless coup
against the Estado Novo regime in Portugal.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnation_Revolution)
1986:
Mswati III was crowned King of Swaziland, succeeding his father
Sobhuza II.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mswati_III_of_Swaziland)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true
that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know
to be untrue." -- Edward R. Murrow
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edward_R._Murrow)