The Battle of Blanchetaque was fought on 24 August 1346, during the early stages of the Hundred Years' War, between an English army under King Edward III and a French force commanded by Godemar du Fay. The English army had burnt a path of destruction through some of the richest lands in France to within 20 miles (32 km) of Paris, then had marched north, hoping to link up with an allied Flemish army. The French king, Philip VI, garrisoned all of the bridges and fords over the River Somme and followed the English with his own field army. The area had previously been stripped of food stocks, and the English were essentially trapped. They launched an attack across a tidal ford at Blanchetaque, and after a disorderly mêlée the French blocking force there broke and fled. French casualties were reported as over half of their force, while English losses were light. Two days later, the main army under Philip was defeated at the Battle of Crécy.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blanchetaque
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1643:
A Dutch expedition arrived at the mouth of the Valdivia River in what is now Chile, with the aim of establishing a new colony in the ruins of the abandoned Spanish settlement of Valdivia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_expedition_to_Valdivia
1857:
The New York City branch of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Co. collapsed following widespread embezzlement, leading to a severe recession that caused about 5,000 businesses to fail. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1857
1914:
World War I: The Battle of Cer ended as the first Allied victory in the war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cer
2006:
The International Astronomical Union redefined the term "planet", reclassifying Pluto as a dwarf planet since it has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAU_definition_of_planet
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
bandura: (music) A Ukrainian plucked stringed instrument with a tear-shaped body, like an asymmetrical lute or a vertical zither, which is played with both hands while held upright on the lap. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bandura
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am not an absolute pacifist, because I can't rule out the possibility that under some, carefully defined circumstances, some degree of violence may be justified, if it is focused directly at a great evil. … Each situation has to be evaluated separately, for all are different. In general, I believe in non-violent direct action, which involve organizing large numbers of people, whereas too often violent uprisings are the product of a small group. If enough people are organized, violence can be minimized in bringing about social change. --Howard Zinn https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Howard_Zinn