The Crécy campaign was an expedition by an English army from the north of Normandy to the County of Boulogne, devastating the French countryside on a wide front, followed by the successful siege of Calais. It began on 12 July 1346 during the Hundred Years' War. Led by King Edward III, the English stormed and sacked Caen, slaughtering the population. They then devastated the country to the suburbs of Rouen before cutting a swath along the Seine's left bank to Poissy, 20 miles (30 km) from Paris. Turning north, the English became trapped in territory which the French had denuded of food. They escaped by fighting their way across the Somme against a French blocking force. Two days later, on ground of their choosing, the English inflicted a heavy defeat on the French at the Battle of Crécy on 26 August, before moving on to besiege Calais. After an eleven-month siege, which severely stretched both countries' financial and military resources, the town fell. (This article is part of a featured topic: Crécy campaign.).

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Cr%C3%A9cy_campaign

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1346:

Hundred Years' War: English forces established the military supremacy of the English longbow over the French combination of crossbow and armoured knights at the Battle of Crécy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cr%C3%A9cy

1748:

The first Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium, was founded in Philadelphia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Ministerium

1978:

Aboard the Soviet Soyuz 31 spacecraft, Sigmund Jähn became the first German in space. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_J%C3%A4hn

2008:

After a ceasefire was reached in the Russo-Georgian War, Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_recognition_of_Abkhazia_and_South_Ossetia

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

doldrums: 1. Usually preceded by the: a state of apathy or lack of interest; a situation where one feels boredom, ennui, or tedium; a state of listlessness or malaise. 2. (nautical) Usually preceded by the: the state of a sailing ship when it is impeded by calms or light, baffling winds, and is unable to make progress. 3. (nautical, oceanography, by extension) Usually preceded by the: a part of the ocean near the equator where calms, squalls, and light, baffling winds are common. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doldrums

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.   --John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Buchan,_1st_Baron_Tweedsmuir