The Battle of Öland (1676) was fought between an allied Danish-Dutch fleet and the Swedish navy in the Baltic Sea, east of Öland, during the Scanian War (1675–79). Sweden needed reinforcements for its northern German possessions; Denmark sought to ferry an army to attack Scania in southern Sweden. Just as the battle began, the Swedish flagship Kronan sank, taking with it the commander of the Swedish navy, Lorentz Creutz. The next in command, Claes Uggla, drowned while escaping his burning ship, Svärdet. The allied force under Dutch admiral Cornelis Tromp pressed its advantage, and the rest of the Swedish fleet fled in disorder. The battle resulted in Danish naval supremacy, then and throughout the war. The Danish King Christian V was able to ship troops over to the Swedish side of the Sound, and Scania became the main battleground of the war, culminating with the bloody battles of Lund, Halmstad and Landskrona. Danish and Dutch naval forces were left free to raze Öland and the Swedish east coast all the way up to Stockholm. The Swedish failure at Öland prompted King Charles XI to order a commission to investigate the fiasco, but in the end no one was found guilty.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_%C3%96land

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1649:

English Civil War: King Charles I, who was defeated in both the First and the Second Civil Wars, was beheaded for high treason in front of the Banqueting House in London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England

1826:

The Menai Suspension Bridge (pictured), connecting the Isle of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales, one of the world's first modern suspension bridges, opened. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menai_Suspension_Bridge

1889:

Archduke Rudolf, heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown, was found dead in a suicide pact with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera in Mayerling. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf,_Crown_Prince_of_Austria

1945:

World War II: In one of the largest losses of life in a single sinking in maritime history, the Soviet submarine S-13 sank the Wilhelm Gustloff carrying German soldiers and refugees evacuating from East Prussia, killing at least 9,400 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Wilhelm_Gustloff

1968:

Vietnam War: Forces of the Viet Cong and the Vietnam People's Army launched the Tet Offensive to strike military and civilian command and control centers throughout South Vietnam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

mignon: Small and cute; pretty in a delicate way; dainty. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mignon

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Any technology that does not appear magical is insufficiently advanced.   --Gregory Benford https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gregory_Benford