The Battle of Grand Gulf was fought on April 29, 1863, during the American Civil War. Union Army forces commanded by Ulysses S. Grant had failed several times to bypass or capture the Confederate-held city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Grant decided to move his army south of Vicksburg, cross the Mississippi River, and then advance on the city. A Confederate division under John S. Bowen prepared defenses—Forts Wade and Cobun—at Grand Gulf, Mississippi. To clear the way for a Union crossing, seven ironclad warships from the Mississippi Squadron of the Union Navy commanded by Admiral David Dixon Porter bombarded the Confederate defenses at Grand Gulf. Union fire silenced Fort Wade, but the overall Confederate position held. Grant decided to cross the river elsewhere. The next day, Union forces crossed the river at Bruinsburg, Mississippi. The position at Grand Gulf was abandoned and became a Union supply point. The Grand Gulf battlefield is preserved in Grand Gulf Military State Park.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1903:

A rockslide buried part of the Canadian mining town of Frank under 110 million tonnes of rock, killing around 70 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Slide

1944:

Second World War: British agent Nancy Wake parachuted into Auvergne, France, becoming a liaison between the Special Operations Executive and the local Maquis group. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Wake

1968:

The controversial Broadway musical Hair, a product of the counterculture of the 1960s, opened, with its songs becoming anthems of the anti-Vietnam War movement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_%28musical%29

2006:

Cyclone Mala made landfall near Thandwe, Myanmar, causing 37 deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Mala

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

attend: 1. Senses relating to caring for or waiting on someone, or accompanying or being present. 2. (transitive) To care for (someone requiring attention); specifically, of a doctor, nurse, etc.: to provide professional care to (someone). 3. (transitive) To wait on (someone or their instructions) as an attendant, servant, etc.; also (specifically of a gentleman-in-waiting or lady-in-waiting to a member of royalty), to accompany (someone) in order to assist or wait upon them; to escort. 4. (transitive) To be present at (an event or place) in order to take part in some action or proceedings; also, to regularly go to (an event or place). 5. (transitive) To take action with respect to (someone, or something such as a concern, problem, or task); to deal with, to handle. 6. (transitive) Of a (chiefly immaterial) thing: to be consequent to or present with (someone or something); to accompany. 7. (transitive, archaic or obsolete) To look after (someone or something); to tend. 8. (intransitive) Followed by to: to look after someone or something. 9. (intransitive) To be ready to wait upon someone or their instructions as an attendant, servant, etc.; also (followed by on or upon), to accompany someone in order to assist or wait upon them. 10. (intransitive) Followed by at: to go to and be present at a place for some purpose; also (obsolete), followed by on: to be present at and take part in an event. 11. (intransitive) Followed by to: to take action with respect to someone or something; to deal with. 12. (intransitive) Followed by on or upon: of a (chiefly immaterial) thing: to be consequent on or present with. [...] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/attend

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

When the night's here, I don't do tears Baby, no chance I could dance, I could dance, I could dance Watch me dance, dance the night away My heart could be burnin', but you won't see it on my face Watch me dance, dance the night away I'll still keep the party runnin', not one hair out of place.   --Dua Lipa https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dua_Lipa