The Second Punic War (218–201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy. After immense materiel and human losses on both sides the Carthaginians were defeated. Macedonia, Syracuse and several Numidian kingdoms were drawn into the fighting, and Iberian and Gallic forces fought on both sides. There were three main military theatres during the war: Italy, where Hannibal defeated the Roman legions repeatedly, with occasional subsidiary campaigns on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia and in Greece; Iberia, where Hasdrubal, a younger brother of Hannibal, defended the Carthaginian colonial cities with mixed success before moving into Italy; and North Africa, where Rome finally won the war. A peace treaty stripped the Carthaginians of all overseas territories, and prohibited them from waging war outside Africa. (This article is part of a featured topic: Punic Wars.).

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Punic_Wars

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1932:

Air India, the flag carrier airline of India, began operations under the name Tata Airlines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_India

1954:

Hurricane Hazel (flooding pictured) made landfall in the Carolinas in the United States before moving north to Toronto in Canada later the same day, killing 176 people in the two countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Hazel

2007:

New Zealand Police conducted several anti-terrorism raids in relation to the discovery of an alleged paramilitary training camp in the Urewera mountain ranges, arresting 17 people and seizing four guns and 230 rounds of ammunition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_New_Zealand_police_raids

2013:

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Bohol in the Philippines, resulting in 222 deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Bohol_earthquake

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

hundreds and thousands: 1. An indefinite but emphatically large number. 2. (Australia, Britain, New Zealand) Tiny balls or strands of multicoloured sugar, sprinkled over ice cream, desserts or party foods. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hundreds_and_thousands

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

People are the common denominator of progress … no improvement is possible with unimproved people, and advance is certain when people are liberated and educated.   --John Kenneth Galbraith https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Kenneth_Galbraith