A disease or ailment; or a serious problem.
Malady
Fact of the Day
Before a naval battle with England in 1545, French king Francis I held a farewell dinner on his flagship, which shortly afterwards sank having caught fire when her guns went off by themselves.
Quote of the Day
"Truly, when the day of judgement comes, it will not be a question of what we have read, but what we have done.
"
~ Thomas à Kempis, 15th century
On This Day
52 BCE The Siege of Alesia formally came to an end when Vercingetorix, leader of the Gaulish forces, surrendered to Julius Caesar.
1283 Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the last independent ruler of Wales, was hanged, drawn and quartered on the orders of Edward I.
1691 The Treaty of Limerick was signed, ending the Williamite War in Ireland between the Jacobites and the supporters of William of Orange.
1932 Iraq gained independence from Britain, after 17 years of British rule.
1935 Italian forces invaded Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia) without a formal declaration of war.
1981 The second Irish hunger strike at Maze Prison in Northern Ireland was called off. 10 republican prisoners died in the showdown with Margaret Thatcher.