On this day...

On this day in 1808, Napoleon crowned his older brother Joseph, King of Spain. 

1 hour ago, DavidM said:

Next day they were on a boat to Rwanda

And the government had used taxpayers' guineas to hire a massive first-rate ship of the line to transport just half a dozen people but last minute appeals to King George were successful and they were just exiled to New Holland instead. 

Battles of Ligny and Quatre Bras , prematch warm ups to the Battle of Waterloo , 1815

On this day in 1487, the Battle of Stoke Field took place which was the final engagement of the Wars of the Roses. 

On this day in 1779, Spain declares war on Great Britain and the Great Siege of Gibraltar begins. 

On this day in 1785, Vice Admiral William Cornwallis and his small squadron resist a much larger French fleet and withdraw with little damage, setting up the French fleet for a huge defeat at the Battle of Groix 6 days later. 

On this day in 1397, the Kalmar Union is formed, a union under one monarch of all the Scandinavian states. 

Last public guillotining in France , 1939

Latvia , Lithuania , Estonia occupied by Soviet Union , 1940

Five White House operatives arrested for watergate break in , 1972 

On this day in 1815, Napoleon I met his Waterloo! 

1 hour ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

On this day in 1815, Napoleon I met his Waterloo! 

He did , with a man of the match performance by Sharpe . 
 

Churchill’s Finest Hour speech , in the darkest hour . 1940

6 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

On this day in 1815, Napoleon I met his Waterloo! 

My my

One of my favourite anecdotes of all time comes from Waterloo , when Lord Uxbridge was hit in the leg by canister shot and said to Wellington . ‘ By God sir i think ive lost my leg ‘ and Wellington , quick as a flash said ‘ By God i think you have ! ‘ . 

5 hours ago, DavidM said:

He did , with a man of the match performance by Sharpe . 

Special mention should be given as well to Riflemen Harris and Hagman, gave their lives at Waterloo, fighting for the freedom of an entire continent, best friends until the very end, died hand in hand, still brings a tear to this goose's eye every time.

Gods Banker Roberto Calvi found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge in absolutely no suspicious circumstances, 1982 . 
 
End of the Soviet occupation of Hungary 1991

Apparently on this day in 2018, the 10,000,000th US patent was granted. Just think of all that useless ###### the Americans have invented..!

On 18/06/2022 at 22:18, Shadow said:

My my

Oh yeah

On this day in 1631, Barbary pirates attack the Irish village of Baltimore. 

On this day in 1756, a British garrison is imprisoned in the infamous Black Hole of Calcutta. 

On this day in 1837, Queen Victoria succeeds to the throne. 

On this day in 1877, Alexander Graham Bell installs the world's first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Canada. 

Monmouth declares himself King , 1685 . That didn’t end well for him . James II couldn’t hold off another nephew three years later 

The US Navy decisively wins the Battle of the Phillipine Sea , otherwise known as the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot 1944

An 18 1/2 minute gap appears in the White House tapes released by Nixon 

Final act of the Falklands War 1982

On this day in 1813, the Duke of Wellington's coalition forces defeats the army of Joseph Bonapatre at the Battle of Vitoria, which would turn out to be the decisive battle of the Peninsular War. 

On this day in 1919, Admiral Ludwig von Reuter scuttles the German fleet at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. The nine sailors that died are the last casualties of the First World War. 

Hannibal beats the Romans at the Battle of Lake Trasimene 217BC
 

Constitution of the United States made the Supreme Law 1788

Louis XVI and family try to flee amid the aftermath and terror of the French Revolution 1791

First Victoria Cross awarded 1854
 

US takes Guam from Spain 1898
 

China declares war on most of the West 1900

Fall of Tobruk 1942
 
End of the Battle of Okinawa , an absolute meat grinder amid fanatical resistance that made the US consider the cost of invading the home islands and take the nuclear option 1945
 

3 civil rights workers murdered in Mississippi 1964 . Later dramatised in one of the greatest films of all time 

4 hours ago, DavidM said:

3 civil rights workers murdered in Mississippi 1964 . Later dramatised in one of the greatest films of all time 

And exactly 41 years later, on this day in 2005, Edger Ray Killen was finally found guilty of the manslaughters of said individuals and sentenced to 60 years in prison. 

Fermat's last theorem was proved on this day in 1993.

7 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

On this day in 1813, the Duke of Wellington's coalition forces defeats the army of Joseph Bonapatre at the Battle of Vitoria, which would turn out to be the decisive battle of the Peninsular War. 

On this day in 1919, Admiral Ludwig von Reuter scuttles the German fleet at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. The nine sailors that died are the last casualties of the First World War. 

I thought that was Sean Bean not Wellington .

2 hours ago, Sidi Fidi Gold said:

I thought that was Sean Bean not Wellington .

Certainly Sean Bean was at the Battle of Vitoria but he was just one of 90,000 coalition troops that were definitely commanded by Wellington, trust me I've checked in the book, Sharpe's Honour, and everything.

1 minute ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Certainly Sean Bean was at the Battle of Vitoria but he was just one of 90,000 coalition troops that were definitely commanded by Wellington, trust me I've checked in the book, Sharpe's Honour, and everything.

Never mind the book , I've seen it on TV , Sharpe was captured by the French , he escaped , ran to the front line , steadied the line , swished his sword about and the French were defeated 

4 minutes ago, Sidi Fidi Gold said:

Never mind the book , I've seen it on TV , Sharpe was captured by the French , he escaped , ran to the front line , steadied the line , swished his sword about and the French were defeated 

I saw that documentary as well. I tell you what, Georgian cameramen weren't very good at really showing you the full extent of what they were documenting were they? Believe that documentary and you'd think there was only a few dozen men at Vitoria when actually there was about 150,000 on that battlefield with over 200 heavy guns blazing away as well!

8 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

I saw that documentary as well. I tell you what, Georgian cameramen weren't very good at really showing you the full extent of what they were documenting were they? Believe that documentary and you'd think there was only a few dozen men at Vitoria when actually there was about 150,000 on that battlefield with over 200 heavy guns blazing away as well!

Yeh I read articles saying tens of thousands were at these battles but really it was only about 50 . And god knows how the French conquered so much and won so many battles coz they just walk forward in a line and fall down screaming