The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman- French army of William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, about 7 miles (11 kilometres) northwest of Hastings. The death of the childless King Edward the Confessor in January of that year led to a bloody struggle for the throne. After Harold defeated his own brother Tostig and the Norwegian King Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in September, William landed his invasion forces in the south of England at Pevensey. Harold marched swiftly to meet him, gathering forces as he went. The English army, with perhaps 10,000 infantry, met an invading force of perhaps 3,500 infantry and 3,500 cavalry and archers. After failing to break the English battle lines, the Normans pretended to flee in panic, then turned on their pursuers. Harold's death, probably near the end of the battle, led to the retreat and defeat of most of his army and to the Norman conquest of England. William was crowned as king on Christmas Day 1066.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1758:

Third Silesian War: At the Battle of Hochkirch, an Austrian army under Leopold Joseph von Daun surprised the Prussians commanded by Frederick the Great, overwhelming them and forcing a general retreat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hochkirch

1805:

War of the Third Coalition: French forces under Marshal Michel Ney defeated Austrian forces in Elchingen, present-day Germany. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Elchingen

1913:

The worst mining accident in the United Kingdom's history took place when an explosion resulted in 440 deaths (rescue team pictured) at the Universal Colliery in Senghenydd, Wales. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senghenydd_colliery_disaster

1979:

At least 75,000 people attended the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Washington, D.C., to demand equal civil rights for LGBT people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_March_on_Washington_for_Lesbian_and_Gay_Rights

2012:

Felix Baumgartner jumped from a helium balloon in the stratosphere to become the first person to break the sound barrier without vehicular power. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Baumgartner

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

scruple: 1. (obsolete) A weight of twenty grains or one third of a dram, in England about 1.3 grams (symbol: ℈). 2. (obsolete) Hence, a very small quantity; a particle. 3. (obsolete) A doubt or uncertainty concerning a matter of fact; intellectual perplexity. 4. Hesitation to act from the difficulty of determining what is right or expedient; doubt, hesitation or unwillingness due to motives of conscience. 5. A Hebrew unit of time equal to 1⁄1080 hour. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scruple

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

--Dwight D. Eisenhower https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower