Two Lion-class battlecruisers were built for the Royal Navy before World War I. Lion served as the flagship of the British Grand Fleet's battlecruisers during most of the war, and Princess Royal became the flagship of the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron in 1915. The two ships were a significant improvement over their predecessors in terms of speed, armament and armour. They both participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight in 1914, where Lion sank the German light cruiser Cöln. In the Battle of Dogger Bank in 1915, Lion was badly damaged and Princess Royal scored several hits, one crippling the German armoured cruiser Blücher, which allowed the enemy vessel to be caught and sunk. At the Battle of Jutland in 1916, Lion suffered a serious cordite fire that could have destroyed the ship, and Princess Royal was moderately damaged. They were both put into reserve in 1920, and were sold for scrap a few years later. (This article is part of a featured topic: Battlecruisers of the world.).

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1892:

During a steelworkers' strike in Homestead, Pennsylvania, a day-long battle between strikers and Pinkerton agents resulted in ten deaths and dozens of people wounded. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_strike

1936:

A major breach of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal in England sent millions of gallons of water cascading 300 feet (90 m) into the River Irwell. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Bolton_%26_Bury_Canal

1971:

After visiting several Asian communist countries, Romanian leader Nicolae Ceaușescu gave a speech on a number of neo-Stalinist and socialist-realist ideals, which became known as the July Theses. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_Theses

1997:

The Troubles: In response to the Drumcree dispute, five days of unrest began in Irish-nationalist districts of Northern Ireland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Northern_Ireland_riots

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

ensorcell: 1. (transitive) To bewitch or enchant. 2. (transitive, figuratively) To captivate, entrance, fascinate. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ensorcell

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I am optimistic that the ancient values that have sustained mankind are today reaffirming themselves to prepare us for a kinder, happier twenty-first century. I pray for all of us, oppressor and friend, that together we succeed in building a better world through human understanding and love, and that in doing so we may reduce the pain and suffering of all sentient beings.   --Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tenzin_Gyatso,_14th_Dalai_Lama