The Battle of Blanchetaque was fought on 24 August 1346, during the
early stages of the Hundred Years' War, between an English army under
King Edward III and a French force commanded by Godemar du Fay. The
English army had burnt a path of destruction through some of the richest
lands in France to within 20 miles (32 km) of Paris, then had marched
north, hoping to link up with an allied Flemish army. The French king,
Philip VI, garrisoned all of the bridges and fords over the River Somme
and followed the English with his own field army. The area had
previously been stripped of food stocks, and the English were
essentially trapped. They launched an attack across a tidal ford at
Blanchetaque, and after a disorderly mêlée the French blocking force
there broke and fled. French casualties were reported as over half of
their force, while English losses were light. Two days later, the main
army under Philip was defeated at the Battle of Crécy.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blanchetaque>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1643:
A Dutch expedition arrived at the mouth of the Valdivia River
in what is now Chile, with the aim of establishing a new colony in the
ruins of the abandoned Spanish settlement of Valdivia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_expedition_to_Valdivia>
1857:
The New York City branch of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust
Co. collapsed following widespread embezzlement, leading to a severe
recession that caused about 5,000 businesses to fail.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1857>
1914:
World War I: The Battle of Cer ended as the first Allied
victory in the war.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cer>
2006:
The International Astronomical Union redefined the term
"planet", reclassifying Pluto as a dwarf planet since it has not cleared
the neighbourhood around its orbit.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAU_definition_of_planet>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
bandura:
(music) A Ukrainian plucked stringed instrument with a tear-shaped body,
like an asymmetrical lute or a vertical zither, which is played with
both hands while held upright on the lap.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bandura>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am not an absolute pacifist, because I can't rule out the
possibility that under some, carefully defined circumstances, some
degree of violence may be justified, if it is focused directly at a
great evil. … Each situation has to be evaluated separately, for all
are different. In general, I believe in non-violent direct action, which
involve organizing large numbers of people, whereas too often violent
uprisings are the product of a small group. If enough people are
organized, violence can be minimized in bringing about social change.
--Howard Zinn
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Howard_Zinn>
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