The Norman conquest of England was the invasion and occupation of England by an army of Norman, Breton, and French soldiers, led by Duke William II of Normandy, later styled as William the Conqueror. The invasion culminated in the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066. William's claim to the English throne derived from his familial relationship with the childless Anglo-Saxon King Edward the Confessor, who died in January 1066 and was succeeded by his brother-in-law Harold Godwinson. After the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada invaded northern England in September, Harold defeated and killed him at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Within days, William landed in southern England. Harold marched south to confront him, but left a significant portion of his army in the north, and was defeated and killed by William's force at Hastings. William faced rebellions for years, and was not secure on his throne until after 1072. He confiscated the lands of the resisting English elite, some of whom fled into exile. To control his new kingdom, William gave lands to his followers and built castles commanding military strongpoints.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1863:

American Civil War: In the Battle of Bristoe Station, the Union II Corps was able to surprise and repel the Confederate attack on the Union rear guard, resulting in a Union victory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bristoe_Station

1888:

French inventor Louis Le Prince filmed Roundhay Garden Scene, the earliest surviving motion picture, in Roundhay, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Le_Prince

1913:

The worst mining accident in the United Kingdom's history took place when an explosion took the lives of 439 people at the Universal Colliery in Senghenydd, Wales. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senghenydd_colliery_disaster

1956:

B. R. Ambedkar, a leader of India's "Untouchable" caste, publicly converted to Buddhism, becoming the leader of the Dalit Buddhist movement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit_Buddhist_movement

1973:

After student protests against the Thai military government turned to violence, King Bhumibol Adulyadej announced that Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn had resigned. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Thai_popular_uprising

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

sich: (historical) An administrative and military centre for the Zaporozhian and Danube Cossacks. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sich

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Character in many ways is everything in leadership. It is made up of many things, but I would say character is really integrity. When you delegate something to a subordinate, for example, it is absolutely your responsibility, and he must understand this. You as a leader must take complete responsibility for what the subordinate does. I once said, as a sort of wisecrack, that leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.   --Dwight D. Eisenhower https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower