The Battle of Lake Trasimene was fought when a Carthaginian force under Hannibal (bust pictured) ambushed a Roman army on the Italian Peninsula commanded by Gaius Flaminius on 21 June 217 BC, during the Second Punic War. The Romans had an army on each side of the Apennine Mountains, but were surprised when a 50,000-strong Carthaginian army crossed by a difficult but unguarded route. Flaminius, in charge of the nearest Roman army, set off in pursuit. Hannibal sprung his ambush south of Cortona, on Lake Trasimene's north shore. With the Carthaginians attacking unexpectedly from the flank and the rear, possibly in poor visibility, the Romans had no chance to form even a rudimentary fighting line; they were defeated after three hours of hard fighting. The trap failed to close on 6,000 Romans, but they surrendered later in the day and so all 25,000 Romans engaged were killed or captured. This destruction of an entire army due to an ambush by another is widely considered to be a unique occurrence.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lake_Trasimene

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1854:

Crimean War: During the Battle of Bomarsund, Irish sailor Charles Davis Lucas threw an artillery shell off his ship before it exploded, earning him the first Victoria Cross. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Davis_Lucas

1890:

Rudyard Kipling's poem Mandalay was published. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandalay_%28poem%29

1921:

Irish War of Independence: Most of the village of Knockcroghery in County Roscommon was burned by British forces. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knockcroghery

1957:

Ellen Fairclough became the first woman to be appointed to the cabinet of Canada. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Fairclough

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Mummerset: 1. An imaginary rural county in the West Country of England. 2. (often theater) An invented English language dialect used by actors that mimics a stereotypical West Country rural accent. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Mummerset

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

As individuals, men believe they ought to love and serve each other and establish justice between each other. As racial, economic and national groups they take for themselves, whatever their power can command.   --Reinhold Niebuhr https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Reinhold_Niebuhr