26 August 2006

This day in history: 26 Aug

1346: English longbowmen, under Edward III, defeated a much larger French force at the Battle of Crecy.

1883: Krakatoa, a volcanic island located in the Sunda Strait, west of Java (despite what the makers of this movie may have thought), exploded, creating tsunamis that killed over 35000 people on the neighbouring islands of Java and Sumatra.

And speaking of volcanos, I missed another interesting anniversary a couple days ago - the famous eruption of Vesuvius, on 24 Aug, AD 79, which destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

1 comment:

WillyShake said...

"Witness our too much memorable shame
When Cressy battle fatally was struck,
And all our princes captiv'd by the hand of that black name, Edward, Black Prince of Wales."

--the King of France lamenting the memory of the French defeat at Crecy in In Shakespeare's play Henry V.