The Roman withdrawal from Africa in 255 BC was the attempt by the Roman
Republic to rescue the survivors of their defeated expeditionary force
to Carthaginian Africa (in what is now north-eastern Tunisia) during the
First Punic War. A force of 390 warships fought and defeated 200
Carthaginian vessels off Cape Hermaeum (the modern Cape Bon or Ras ed-
Dar), north of the town of Aspis. The Carthaginians had 114 of their
ships captured, together with their crews, and 16 sunk. Most modern
historians assume there were no Roman losses. The Romans landed in
Aspis – where the Roman survivors of the previous year's invasion
were besieged – sortied, dispersed the besiegers and raided the
surrounding country for food. All then re-embarked and left for Italy.
While returning the Roman fleet encountered a storm off the south-east
corner of Sicily; 384 ships were sunk and more than 100,000 men were
lost.
Read more:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_withdrawal_from_Africa_%28255_BC%29>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1961:
Typhoon Nancy, which possibly had the strongest winds ever
measured in a tropical cyclone, made landfall in Muroto, Japan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Nancy_%281961%29>
1975:
The prototype of the Mikoyan MiG-31 (example pictured), one of
the fastest combat jets in the world, made its maiden flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan_MiG-31>
1979:
Eight people escaped from East Germany to West Germany in a
home-made hot air balloon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_German_balloon_escape>
2013:
A lone gunman fatally shot twelve people and injured three
others at the headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command in
Washington, D.C.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Navy_Yard_shooting>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
wantok:
(Melanesia, Papua New Guinea) A close comrade; a person with whom one
has a strong social bond, usually based on a shared language.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wantok>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The fool hath said … The fool hath said And we, who deemed him
wise, We, who believed that Thou wast dead, How should we seek Thine
eyes?How should we seek to Thee for power, Who scorned Thee yesterday?
How should we kneel in this dread hour? Lord, teach us how to pray.
--Alfred Noyes
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_Noyes>