Æthelbald, King of Wessex (died 860) was the second of five sons of
King Æthelwulf of Wessex. Æthelbald's elder brother Æthelstan
defeated the Vikings in 850 in the first recorded sea battle in English
history, and probably died in the early 850s. The next year Æthelwulf
and Æthelbald inflicted another defeat on the Vikings at the Battle of
Aclea. In 855 Æthelwulf went on pilgrimage to Rome and appointed
Æthelbald king of Wessex, while Æthelberht, the next oldest son,
became king of Kent, which had been conquered by Wessex thirty years
earlier. Æthelbald refused to give up his throne when his father
returned to England in 856, and continued as king either of west Wessex
or the whole territory until his father died in 858. Æthelbald then
married his father's widow, Judith, a great-granddaughter of
Charlemagne, to the scandal of later monastic chroniclers, and ruled
Wessex until his own death. Æthelberht now re-united Wessex and Kent
under his sole rule and they were never again divided.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelbald,_King_of_Wessex>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1792:
Thomas Hardy founded the London Corresponding Society to seek a
"radical reform of parliament", later influencing the reform movements
of early 19th-century England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Corresponding_Society>
1971:
Idi Amin seized power from Ugandan president Milton Obote in a
coup d'état, beginning eight years of military rule.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Ugandan_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat>
1993:
Five people were shot by Pakistani national Mir Aimal Kansi
outside the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley,
Virginia, resulting in two deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_shootings_at_CIA_Headquarters>
2010:
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, en route to Addis Ababa, crashed
into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff from Beirut, Lebanon,
killing all 90 people on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Airlines_Flight_409>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Burns night:
An event held on the evening of 25th January in celebration of the
Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns (born on that day in 1759),
usually involving Scottish foods and recitals of his poetry.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Burns_night>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The social, friendly, honest man, Whate'er he be, 'Tis he
fulfills great Nature's plan, And none but he!
--Robert Burns
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Burns>