The Battle of Taejon (14–21 July 1950) was an early battle between United States and North Korean forces during the Korean War. U.S. Army forces, attempting to defend the headquarters of the 24th Infantry Division, were overwhelmed by numerically superior forces of the Korean People's Army (KPA) at the major city and transportation hub of Taejon. The Americans were already exhausted after two weeks of attempting to stem the KPA's advance. The entire 24th Division gathered to make a final stand around Taejon, holding a line along the Kum River to the east of the city. The American forces, outnumbered, ill-equipped and untrained, were pushed back from the river bank after several days, before fighting an intense urban battle to defend the city. After a fierce three-day struggle, they withdrew. Although they could not hold the city, the 24th Infantry Division achieved a strategic victory by delaying the North Koreans, providing time for other American divisions to establish a defensive perimeter around Pusan further south. The KPA captured Major General William F. Dean, the commander of the 24th Infantry Division, and the highest-ranking American prisoner during the Korean War.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Taejon
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
365:
A large earthquake that occurred near Crete and its subsequent tsunami caused widespread destruction throughout the eastern Mediterranean region. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/365_Crete_earthquake
1645:
Qing Dynasty regent Dorgon issued an edict ordering all Han Chinese men to shave their forehead and braid the rest of their hair into a queue identical to those of the Manchus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queue_(hairstyle)
1865:
In one of the few recorded instances of a "quick draw" gun duel in the American Old West, Wild Bill Hickok shot and killed Davis Tutt over a poker debt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Bill_Hickok_%E2%80%93_Davis_Tutt_shootout
1973:
Mossad agents mistakenly assassinated a Moroccan waiter in Lillehammer, Norway, whom they believed had been involved in the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillehammer_affair
1977:
Libyan forces carried out a raid at Sallum, sparking a four-day war with Egypt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libyan%E2%80%93Egyptian_War
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
mither: 1. (intransitive, Northern England) To make an unnecessary fuss, moan, bother. 2. (transitive) To pester or irritate someone. Usually directed at children. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mither
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. --Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Philosopher%27s_Stone