Æthelbald, King of Wessex (died 860) was the second of five sons of King Æthelwulf of Wessex. Æthelbald's elder brother Æthelstan defeated the Vikings in 850 in the first recorded sea battle in English history, and probably died in the early 850s. The next year Æthelwulf and Æthelbald inflicted another defeat on the Vikings at the Battle of Aclea. In 855 Æthelwulf went on pilgrimage to Rome and appointed Æthelbald king of Wessex, while Æthelberht, the next oldest son, became king of Kent, which had been conquered by Wessex thirty years earlier. Æthelbald refused to give up his throne when his father returned to England in 856, and continued as king either of west Wessex or the whole territory until his father died in 858. Æthelbald then married his father's widow, Judith, a great-granddaughter of Charlemagne, to the scandal of later monastic chroniclers, and ruled Wessex until his own death. Æthelberht now re-united Wessex and Kent under his sole rule and they were never again divided.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelbald,_King_of_Wessex

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1792:

Thomas Hardy founded the London Corresponding Society to seek a "radical reform of parliament", later influencing the reform movements of early 19th-century England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Corresponding_Society

1971:

Idi Amin seized power from Ugandan president Milton Obote in a coup d'état, beginning eight years of military rule. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Ugandan_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat

1993:

Five people were shot by Pakistani national Mir Aimal Kansi outside the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia, resulting in two deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_shootings_at_CIA_Headquarters

2010:

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, en route to Addis Ababa, crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff from Beirut, Lebanon, killing all 90 people on board. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Airlines_Flight_409

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Burns night: An event held on the evening of 25th January in celebration of the Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns (born on that day in 1759), usually involving Scottish foods and recitals of his poetry. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Burns_night

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The social, friendly, honest man, Whate'er he be, 'Tis he fulfills great Nature's plan, And none but he!   --Robert Burns https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Burns