In the First World War, battalions of friends and colleagues from the same towns who had signed up to the army together.
Pals battalions
Fact of the Day
Between April 1669 and the end of 1684, Charles II touched a total of 28,983 people (about 1,800 p.a.) for the King's Evil.
Quote of the Day
"The English piously believe themselves to be a peaceful people; nobody else is of the same belief.
"
~ Gladstone
On This Day
1586 American colonists arrived in Plymouth with large quantities of tobacco. Smoking caught on quickly, though it was also used in tea.
1694 The Bank of England was founded by an act of parliament as a way to finance government debt by private subscription.
1943 The concentrated Allied bombing of Hamburg led to a three hour firestorm that killed approx 30,000 civilians.