The Uruguayan War (10 August 1864 – 20 February 1865) was fought between Uruguay's governing Blanco Party and an alliance consisting of the Empire of Brazil and the Uruguayan Colorado Party. In 1863, with covert support from Argentina, the Colorado leader Venancio Flores launched a rebellion aimed at toppling president Bernardo Berro. The Blanco government received support from dissident Argentines and made overtures to Paraguayan dictator, Francisco Solano López, who was suspicious of Argentina's motives and keen to form an alliance. Fearing for its interests in the region, the Empire of Brazil intervened, first trying diplomacy and then, when talks stalled, issuing an ultimatum; the Blanco government rejected the Brazilians' conditions, and Brazil's military were ordered to begin exacting reprisals, marking the beginning of the war. In a combined offensive against Blanco strongholds, the Brazilian–Colorado troops advanced through Uruguayan territory, taking one town after another (storming of Paysandú pictured). Eventually, the Blancos were left isolated in Montevideo, the national capital. Faced with certain defeat, the Blanco government capitulated.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguayan_War
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
955:
Forces under Otto I were victorious at the Battle of Lechfeld near present-day Augsburg, Germany, holding off the incursions of the Magyars into Central Europe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lechfeld_(955)
1628:
The Swedish warship Vasa (salvaged wreck pictured) sank after sailing less than a nautical mile into her maiden voyage from Stockholm on her way to fight in the Thirty Years' War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasa_(ship)
1755:
The first wave of the Expulsion of the Acadians from the present-day Canadian Maritime provinces by the British began with the Bay of Fundy Campaign at Chignecto. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Fundy_Campaign_(1755)
1901:
The Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers organized an ultimately unsuccessful strike to reverse its declining fortunes and organize large numbers of new members. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Steel_Recognition_Strike_of_1901
1990:
NASA's Magellan space probe reached Venus on a mission to map its surface, fifteen months after its launch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magellan_(spacecraft)
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
leeward: Away from the direction from which the wind is blowing. Downwind. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/leeward
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
 Words without actions are the assassins of idealism. --Herbert Hoover https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Herbert_Hoover
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