BEF

The British Expeditionary Force, the part of the British Army sent to fight in Europe in the First World War and the Second World War.

Fact of the Day

Henry the Fowler, king of East Francia and founder of the Ottonian dynasty of German rulers, once traded a large part of Swabia (modern Switzerland and Alsace) for a spear.

Quote of the Day

"They are well named, for they have the countenance of angels, and as such should be coheirs with the angels in heaven. "

~ Pope Gregory I on the Angles, recorded by Bede

On This Day

1266 The siege of Kenilworth Castle, one of the longest and largest sieges ever to occur in England, ended when the garrison inside the castle surrendered.

1545 The first meeting of the Catholic Council of Trent was held in response to the Protestant Reformation.

1577 Drake set sail to circumnavigate the globe, again. His first attempt had run into bad weather.

1784 Samuel Johnson, giant of the English language, died. Among many other works, he spent just over eight years writing a 40,000-word dictionary.

1916 Avalanches killed 10,000 men on World War One's most extreme battlefield in the Dolomites.

1939 The first naval battle of World War Two, the Battle of the River Plate, happened

1973 Prime Minister Edward Heath announced plans to introduce the Three Day Week in response to the oil crisis and strike action.